Cricket World Cup 2015 Schedule: Remaining Pool Fixtures and Timetable
As the pool stages of the Cricket World Cup motor towards an enthralling conclusion, there will be teams aplenty desperate to cement their status in the knockout stages of the competition.
Up to now we’ve been treated to some engrossing action, with huge scoring, express bowling and wonderful fielding lighting up various venues across New Zealand and Australia. But there are still a plethora of intriguing matches to come.
Here’s a rundown of the fixtures we still have to look forward to in the round-robin format and a closer look at the matches which stand out as vital contests.
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Pool Fixtures
- Feb. 25, Pool B: Ireland v UAE, Brisbane (d/n) (3:30 a.m. GMT)
- Feb. 26, Pool A: Afghanistan v Scotland, Dunedin (10 p.m. GMT, Feb. 25)
- Feb. 26, Pool A: Sri Lanka v Bangladesh, Melbourne (d/n) (3:30 a.m. GMT)
- Feb. 27, Pool B: South Africa v West Indies, Sydney (d/n) (3:30 a.m. GMT)
- Feb. 28, Pool B: India v UAE, Perth (d/n) (1 a.m. GMT)
- Feb. 28, Pool A: Australia v New Zealand, Auckland (d/n) (6:30 a.m. GMT)
- March 1, Pool A: England v Sri Lanka, Wellington (Westpac Stadium) (10 p.m. GMT, Feb. 28)
- March 1, Pool B: Pakistan v Zimbabwe, Brisbane (d/n) (3:30 a.m. GMT)
- March 3, Pool B: South Africa v Ireland, Canberra (d/n) (3:30 a.m. GMT)
- March 4, Pool B: Pakistan v UAE, Napier (d/n) (1 a.m. GMT)
- March 4, Pool A: Australia v Afghanistan, Perth (d/n) (6:30 a.m. GMT)
- March 5, Pool A: Bangladesh v Scotland, Nelson (10 p.m. GMT, March 4)
- March 6, Pool B: India v West Indies, Perth (d/n) (6:30 a.m. GMT)
- March 7, Pool B: South Africa v Pakistan, Auckland (d/n) (1 a.m. GMT)
- March 7, Pool B: Zimbabwe v Ireland, Hobart (d/n) (3:30 a.m. GMT)
- March 8, Pool A: New Zealand v Afghanistan, Napier (10 p.m. GMT, March 7)
- March 8, Pool A: Australia v Sri Lanka, Sydney (d/n) (3:30 a.m. GMT)
- March 9, Pool A: England v Bangladesh, Adelaide (d/n) (3:30 a.m. GMT)
- March 10, Pool B: India v Ireland, Hamilton (d/n) (1 a.m. GMT)
- March 11, Pool A: Sri Lanka v Scotland, Hobart (d/n) (3:30 a.m. GMT)
- March 12, Pool B: South Africa v UAE, Wellington (Westpac Stadium) (d/n) (1 a.m. GMT)
- March 13, Pool A: Bangladesh v New Zealand, Hamilton (d/n) (1 a.m. GMT)
- March 13, Pool A: England v Afghanistan, Sydney (d/n) (3:30 a.m. GMT)
- March 14, Pool B: India v Zimbabwe, Auckland (d/n) (1 a.m. GMT)
- March 14, Pool A: Australia v Scotland, Hobart (d/n) (3:30 a.m. GMT)
- March 15, Pool B: West Indies v UAE, Napier (10 p.m. GMT, March 14)
- March 15, Pool B: Pakistan v Ireland, Adelaide (d/n) (3:30 a.m. GMT)
Schedule courtesy of BBC Sport
Engrossing Matches to Come in Race to Qualify
While both Australia and New Zealand have showcased more than enough talent to suggest they’ll definitely be in the quarter-finals of this competition, finishing top of Pool A could well prove to be tantamount to both sides' eventual hopes of glory.
So when the two meet in what should be a gripping match on Feb. 28, expect no quarter to be given. As noted by Cricket Australia, there will be an added incentive for both teams aside from points too:
The side that finishes top is likely to avoid one of the more illustrious nations from Pool B in the quarter-final, while whoever finishes second has a greater chance of bumping into a top-quality side. The eternal rivalry that’s persisted between the two teams is just another facet to what should be a phenomenal encounter.
Australian captain Darren Lehmann has already stirred the pot coming into this one too. The man known as “Boof” was speaking about Black Caps skipper Brendon McCullum on radio station 5AA earlier in the week (h/t Daniel Brettig of ESPN Cricinfo) and has challenged him to repeat his superb scoring against a bowling attack as good as the Baggy Greens’:
"He does hit them a long way, doesn't he? He took the game on and he certainly does that, he plays a high-risk game, but there's a bit of a difference between 135kph and 145 to 150kph coming at him. It'll be a great challenge for both sides, he's going to certainly come at us and we've got some plans for him.
It's going to be exciting - New Zealand have been very impressive. It's going to be interesting to see how they play against us, I'm sure they'll be really aggressive, so it's going to be a cracker game.
"
While those two battle for top spot, other teams will just be desperate to secure qualification at this point. Two of those sides are England and Sri Lanka, who have both felt the wrath of a ruthless Black Caps outfit earlier in the group stages, with the former losing to Australia too.
Both nations have recovered from the aforementioned defeats to secure comfortable victories over non-Test playing nations, but their match on March 1 will be critical as they look to book their spot in the quarter-finals.
The England opening pair of Moeen Ali and Ian Bell were in top form in their recent win over Scotland, per BBC Test Match Special, and under-pressure coach Peter Moores will be desperate for the duo to get his side off to an excellent start against Sri Lanka:
Sri Lanka have some classy players of their own, however, and they definitely made a much better fist of things against New Zealand than England.
In addition, while their opponents are a relatively young side, this Sri Lanka team is packed with experienced figures like Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan; that could be a vital factor in a crunch encounter like this.
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