Cricket World Cup Schedule 2015: Full Fixtures List, Groups for ODI Tournament
Co-hosts Australia are the favourites to win the 2015 World Cup and face England in Melbourne in their opener on Saturday.
New Zealand—the other co-hosts—kick off their campaign and tournament itself against Sri Lanka in Christchurch.
Pool B gets under way on Sunday, when the hotly tipped South Africa take on Zimbabwe ahead of a mouthwatering clash in Adelaide between India and Pakistan.
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With 14 teams competing across 49 matches at 14 venues Down Under, it is set to be a scintillating tournament with the world's finest ODI players all on show.
Read on for a full fixture list, as well as the groups, ahead of Saturday's opening matches.
| Pool A | Pool B |
| England | South Africa |
| Australia | India |
| Sri Lanka | Pakistan |
| Bangladesh | West Indies |
| New Zealand | Zimbabwe |
| Afghanistan | Ireland |
| Scotland | United Arab Emirates |
| Date | Fixture | Venue |
| Feb. 14 | Sri Lanka v New Zealand | Christchurch |
| Feb. 14 | England v Australia | Melbourne |
| Feb. 15 | South Africa v Zimbabwe | Hamilton |
| Feb. 15 | India v Pakistan | Adelaide |
| Feb. 16 | West Indies v Ireland | Nelson |
| Feb. 17 | New Zealand v Scotland | Dunedin |
| Feb. 18 | Bangladesh v Afghanistan | Canberra |
| Feb. 19 | Zimbabwe v UAE | Nelson |
| Feb. 20 | England v New Zealand | Wellington |
| Feb. 21 | Pakistan v West Indies | Christchurch |
| Feb. 21 | Australia v Bangladesh | Brisbane |
| Feb. 22 | Sri Lanka v Afghanistan | Dunedin |
| Feb. 22 | South Africa v India | Melbourne |
| Feb. 23 | England v Scotland | Christchurch |
| Feb. 24 | West Indies v Zimbabwe | Canberra |
| Feb. 25 | Ireland v UAE | Brisbane |
| Feb. 26 | Afghanistan v Scotlan | Dunedin |
| Feb. 26 | Sri Lanka v Bangladesh | Melbourne |
| Feb. 27 | South Africa v West Indies | Sydney |
| Feb. 28 | Australia v New Zealand | Auckland |
| Feb. 28 | India v UAE | Perth |
| March 1 | England v Sri Lanka | Wellington |
| March 1 | Pakistan v Zimbabwe | Brisbane |
| March 3 | South Africa v Ireland | Canberra |
| March 4 | Pakistan v UAE | Napier |
| March 4 | Australia v Afghanistan | Perth |
| March 5 | Bangladesh v Scotland | Nelson |
| March 6 | India v West Indies | Perth |
| March 7 | South Africa v Pakistan | Auckland |
| March 7 | Zimbabwe v Ireland | Hobart |
| March 8 | New Zealand v Afghanistan | Napier |
| March 8 | Australia v Sri Lanka | Sydney |
| March 9 | England v Bangladesh | Adelaide |
| March 10 | India v Ireland | Hamilton |
| March 11 | Sri Lanka v Scotland | Hobart |
| March 12 | South Africa v UAE | Wellington |
| March 13 | Bangladesh v New Zealand | Hamilton |
| March 13 | England v Afghanistan | Sydney |
| March 14 | India v Zimbabwe | Auckland |
| March 14 | Australia v Scotland | Hobart |
| March 15 | West Indies v UAE | Napier |
| March 15 | Pakistan v Ireland | Adelaide |
| March 18 | Quarter-final 1 | Sydney |
| March 19 | Quarter-final 2 | Melbourne |
| March 20 | Quarter-final 3 | Adelaide |
| March 21 | Quarter-final 4 | Wellington |
| March 24 | Semi-final 1 | Auckland |
| March 25 | Semi-final 2 | Sydney |
| March 29 | Final | Melbourne |
Hosts Set to Impress
Both Australia and New Zealand go into their home World Cup in fine form and look good to go far, with both teams genuine contenders to take the crown.
The Aussies are the most successful World Cup team of all time, having won four of the 10 stagings thus far, and in David Warner and Aaron Finch, they have a phenomenal opening pairing who rarely fail to give them a decent start.
They are heavy favourites to win their opener against England, having thrashed Eoin Morgan's men by 112 runs as recently as Feb. 1, and the hosts could make a significant statement with a convincing victory.
The English, while they have improved since Morgan took the captaincy, still look some way below the very best in the world in terms of consistent performances, per the Daily Mirror's Dean Wilson:
The Kiwis also look set to impress, with an enviable batting lineup including Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor and Brendon McCullum among others.
Although not as obvious favourites as Australia, New Zealand have a very tight-knit team and should flourish on home soil, per Pakistan cricketing legend Imran Khan (h/t cricket writer Mazher Arshad):
With the top four from each group advancing to the quarter-finals, England, Sri Lanka, Australia and New Zealand are expected to make it out of Pool A, although Bangladesh could cause an upset or two.
South Africa Ready to Perform
South Africa have never won a World Cup despite consistently putting out top sides in ODIs, but they should be in with a chance of winning March 29's final in Melbourne.
In AB de Villiers, they have arguably the best ODI batsman in the world—see his recent 44-ball 149 against the West Indies.
Dale Steyn is undoubtedly one of the best bowlers in the world, and the conditions Down Under will suit him, with the paceman set to find wickets throughout the innings.
The vastly experienced Hashim Amla will also play a crucial part, as will spinner Imran Tahir, and the Proteas should most certainly top Pool B.
They will face competition from India, although the defending champions look highly unlikely to repeat the trick in 2015, having recently been outplayed by both Australia and England and missing key players, per The Sunday Times' Simon Wilde:
The conditions will not favour the Indians or the Pakistanis, and while the pair should make it to the knockout stages behind South Africa and alongside West Indies, Ireland could cause problems for the more established sides as they did for England in 2011.
There is set to be enormous quality on show in New Zealand and Australia over the coming weeks, with the host nations and South Africa likely to be the teams to beat.
As always, an upset or two is possible, with the associate nations desperate to prove themselves on the biggest of stages.
However, true quality will likely out in the end, and the early group-stage matches will give the best indication as to which sides are in optimal tournament form.
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