Cricket World Cup 2015 Schedule: Updated Fixtures, Live Stream and TV Info
Three of the four semi-finalists are confirmed for this year’s cricket World Cup, with Australia, India and South Africa all booking their berths in the final four.
The last spot will be determined when New Zealand meet the West Indies in the fourth quarter-final.
It’s often said that the worst time to go out of a tournament is at this point. At least if you get to the final showpiece, you can enjoy the day out as well the glitz and glam that comes with the competition’s climax, even if you do finish as runners-up. But lose in the semis and there will always be a lingering sense of what might have been.
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Here’s a look at how the semi-final schedule is shaping up and a detailed examination of the tie already confirmed as teams vie for a spot in the Melbourne showdown on March 29.
ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Fixtures
Semi-Finals
Mar. 24 Semi-final 1, South Africa vs. West Indies or New Zealand, Auckland (1 a.m. GMT)
Mar. 26 Semi-final 2, India vs. Australia, Sydney (3:30 a.m. GMT)
Final
Mar. 29 Final, Melbourne (4:30 a.m. BST)
Schedule courtesy of BBC Sport.
All remaining matches will be shown live on Sky Sports 2 (UK).
Matches can be streamed via Sky Go (UK) or ESPN Cricket 2015 (US).
Australia vs. India
This encounter should be a mouth-watering one. Australia’s comfortable victory over Pakistan in the quarter-final helped cement their status as favourites for this title, while India have been immaculate in the defence of the crown they won four years ago.
Former England coach David Lloyd doesn’t think this semi is one to be missed:
Australia continued their fine run of form in the quarter-finals as they played with real confidence against a dangerous Pakistan side.
So often at this stage of the competition, the pressure can bite for host nations and subsequently performances can wilt. But the Baggy Greens were in control throughout the match, keeping their opponents at arm's length.
As noted by Freddie Wilde of ESPNcricinfo, it looks as though the Aussies are well up for the fight at this competition:
While the batting side of this squad has been rightly lauded at this tournament following some exemplary displays, it was Australia’s bowlers who did the damage in the quarter-final. Mitchell Starc was typically tight with his lines and length, Mitchell Johnson was patently aggressive, but it was Josh Hazlewood—taking four for 35—who was the pick of the bunch.
As we can see here, courtesy of OptaJason, perhaps Australia should be willing to give him more of a chance:
India’s bowling line-up is pretty special, too. The strength in depth they have is staggering, and it’ll be intriguing to see which players get the nod for this vital showdown.
Regardless of who starts, the Australia batting line-up definitely has plenty of reasons to be fearful, as we can see here courtesy of BBC Test Match Special:
While the tournament is being played Down Under, expect this match to be like a home game for the reigning champions. Their raucous supporters have packed out venue after venue on their way to the semi-finals, and you suspect that kind of unrelenting backing will have given the players involved in the squad a significant edge.
The India players certainly seem to appreciate it, too, as we can see here courtesy of the tournament’s official Twitter account:
Even without their raucous support, India just look a lot more balanced than Australia at the moment. They’ve been in such serene control in all of their matches to date, with every facet of their team functioning magnificently. By comparison, Australia do have a few minor cracks showing.
Indeed, Pakistan were able to figure out plans on how to easily dislodge a lot of the top-order Baggy Greens stars, with the short ball accounting for key men like David Warner and Michael Clarke.
Facing a bowling line-up as equally impressive as Pakistan’s—if not a little better—it could be another tough afternoon for some of the Australia stars on show.
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