Cricket World Cup 2015 Schedule: Quarter-Final Fixtures, Predictions and More
There are few more enthralling segments on the cricketing calendar than the knockout stages of a World Cup.
After a flurry of group-stage matches, this is where the serious stuff begins and each of the eight teams remaining in the competition will feel as though they have a fine chance of sampling glory come the climax of the tournament.
But often the most exciting part is the struggle to get to that showpiece and it’s why the quarter-final matches set to be played out Down Under are simply unmissable. Here’s the schedule for this round of fixtures and a closer look at two of the most intriguing ties to sample.
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| South Africa vs. Sri Lanka | March 18 | 3:30 a.m. | Sydney | In Progress |
| India vs. Bangladesh | March 19 | 3:30 a.m. | Melbourne | India |
| Australia vs. Pakistan | March 20 | 3:30 a.m. | Adelaide | Australia |
| New Zealand vs. West Indies | March 21 | 1:30 a.m. | Wellington | New Zealand |
Bangladesh vs. India
Bangladesh have been this year’s surprise package and they will be looking to halt the India juggernaut in their tracks when these two sides clash at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The Tigers qualified from Pool A at the expense of an abject England team and have nothing to fear coming into this tie. They’ve played with a real tenacity throughout this tournament so far and certainly have a few talents capable of posing problems for the reigning champions, most notably star batsman Mahmudullah.
He’s scored two centuries in his last two matches and as noted by Andy Zaltzman of ESPNcricinfo, his innings against New Zealand last time out was especially impressive:
The fact that these Bangladesh players proved they could flourish against the Black Caps’ exemplary bowling attack bodes well for this match with India. Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s team also boast an array of quality bowling options and the underdogs will have to be at their very best if they’re rack up a sizeable score.
But India have a host of fine batsmen too and players like Virat Kohli, who know how to make big scores on the most significant stages, per the tournament’s official account:
Bangladesh deserve immense credit for making it this far and have enough quality within their ranks to make things tough for India. But having won all their pool-stage matches, the reigning champions will have too much confidence and too much quality for their opponents.
New Zealand vs. West Indies
Like India, New Zealand triumphed in all of their matches in the pool stages and will roar into this quarter-final match with the Windies bristling with confidence. But any complacency is potentially dangerous, especially against a side that has the requisite tools to capitalise.
It’s been a tournament of peaks and troughs for the West Indies, but typically they perform well when it comes to the knockout stages of the tournament. With all the expectation set to fall on the shoulders of their opponents, they'll fancy their chances of springing a shock in this one too.
They were without the talismanic Chris Gayle for their previous match against the United Arab Emirates, but will be hopeful of having him back for this one. As noted by cricket statistician Mohandas Menon, the Windies do tend to fare better with the belligerent batsman teeing off at the top of the order:
But New Zealand are a team that look intent on sampling World Cup glory. They’ve been extremely confident in all of their matches to date and you suspect their thrilling narrow win over rivals Australia will have given this team a massive mental boost moving into these quarter-final matches.
As noted by Freddie Wilde of ESPN cricinfo, this is a team that loves to set an early tempo too:
If they can do so against the Caribbean Islanders, previous form dictates that they could score runs very quickly indeed. Jason Holder and Jerome Taylor are both dangerous bowlers, but if they are unsettled early on, they’ve both been prone to losing concentration and chucking down some pretty rank deliveries.
With Brendon McCullum in magnificent form at the top of the order, that potentially spells big trouble for the Windies and it’s difficult to see any result other than a comfortable Black Caps victory.
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