Cricket World Cup 2015 Fixtures: Updated TV Schedule and Live Stream Info
Saturday's Pool A clash between co-hosts Australia and New Zealand headlines the next week of 2015 Cricket World Cup action, with both teams still undefeated after roughly one-third of the group stages have been played.
The Black Caps have cruised through their schedule so far but have yet to face a team as talented as Australia, who have only played one match after their head-to-head with Bangladesh was abandoned due to inclement weather.
India have dominated Pool B so far and look determined to successfully defend their title, but the battle for the second and third spot in that pool is wide open. Here's what the schedule looks like for the remaining group-stage matches:
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| Feb. 27 | 3:30 a.m. | South Africa v West Indies | Sydney |
| Feb. 28 | 1 a.m. | Australia v New Zealand | Auckland |
| Feb. 28 | 6:30 a.m. | India v UAE | Perth |
| March 1 | 10 p.m. (day before) | England v Sri Lanka | Wellington |
| March 1 | 3:30 a.m. | Pakistan v Zimbabwe | Brisbane |
| March 3 | 3:30 a.m. | South Africa v Ireland | Canberra |
| March 4 | 1 a.m. | Pakistan v UAE | Napier |
| March 4 | 6:30 a.m. | Australia v Afghanistan | Perth |
| March 5 | 10 p.m. (day before) | Bangladesh v Scotland | Nelson |
| March 6 | 6:30 a.m. | India v West Indies | Perth |
| March 7 | 1 a.m. | South Africa v Pakistan | Auckland |
| March 7 | 3:30 a.m. | Zimbabwe v Ireland | Hobart |
| March 8 | 10 p.m. (day before) | New Zealand v Afghanistan | Napier |
| March 8 | 3:30 a.m. | Australia v Sri Lanka | Sydney |
| March 9 | 3:30 a.m. | England v Bangladesh | Adelaide |
| March 10 | 1 a.m. | India v Ireland | Hamilton |
| March 11 | 3:30 a.m. | Sri Lanka v Scotland | Hobart |
| March 12 | 1 a.m. | South Africa v UAE | Wellington |
| March 13 | 1 a.m. | Bangladesh v New Zealand | Hamilton |
| March 13 | 3:30 a.m. | England v Afghanistan | Sydney |
| March 14 | 1 a.m. | India v Zimbabwe | Auckland |
| March 14 | 3:30 a.m. | Australia v Scotland | Hobart |
| March 15 | 10 p.m. (day before) | West Indies v UAE | Napier |
| March 15 | 3:30 a.m. | Pakistan v Ireland | Adelaide |
| March 18 | 3:30 a.m. | Quarter-final 1 | Sydney |
| March 19 | 3:30 a.m. | Quarter-final 2 | Melbourne |
| March 20 | 3:30 a.m. | Quarter-final 3 | Adelaide |
| March 21 | 1 a.m. | Quarter-final 4 | Wellington |
| March 24 | 1 a.m. | Semi-final 1 | Auckland |
| March 25 | 3:30 a.m. | Semi-final 2 | Sydney |
| March 29 | 4:30 a.m. BST | Final | Melbourne |
Sky Sports (UK) and ESPN (U.S.) carry full coverage of the 2015 Cricket World Cup, with mobile coverage available via the Sky Go app and ESPN Cricket 2015.
New Zealand's preparations to take on the Baggy Greens suffered a major setback when the news broke that Tim Southee hurt his shoulder in training, but according to SuperSport, the 26-year-old should be fit to face Australia:
Southee currently leads all bowlers with 11 wickets, per ESPN Cricinfo, with team-mate Daniel Vettori just a little further back in the top 10. As great as the Black Caps' batting has been, their bowling attack has been setting the pace all tournament long.
Solid bowling will be crucial against the Aussies and Aaron Finch, whose average of 135 is the second highest of all batsmen. Despite his solid form, the 28-year-old warned his team-mates against Brendon McCullum, one of the most in-form batsman of the tournament, via CricketNDTV:
McCullum, Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor combine to give the Black Caps a formidable group of batsmen, but so do Finch, Glenn Maxwell and David Warner for Australia. Bowling will be key on Saturday, and fans of New Zealand better hope Southee is ready to go.
Elsewhere, West Indies have recovered from their opening loss against Ireland to win back-to-back matches, but they too face their toughest challenge yet in South Africa.
Chris Gayle was nothing short of amazing against Zimbabwe, setting a new record for runs in a single World Cup match in the process, per ESPN's Paul Carr:
It was an incredible feat and a performance Windies sorely needed from the veteran, who has faced some criticism in recent weeks, via the Guardian's Dileep Premachandran.
Whether the fantastic innings did enough to ignite the West Indies squad remains to be seen. Bowling and consistency are still huge concerns, which could spell disaster against a team as explosive as South Africa.
South Africa's bowling can be hurt by powerful batsmen willing to take risks, as Virat Kohli proved with India, but the Men in Blue are one of the most in-form teams in ODI cricket right now—Windies have been the exact opposite, with the exception of Gayle's outburst against Zimbabwe.
The Proteas still seem like a safe bet to finish second in Pool B behind India.
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