Cricket World Cup 2015 Schedule: Semi-Final Fixtures, Dates, Live Stream Info
Just four nations remains in pursuit of the Cricket World Cup after Australia, India, South Africa and New Zealand were all confident winners in their respective quarter-finals.
Admittedly, the quartet of qualifiers were all big favourites to progress in their matches and while that meant we had to endure some lopsided contests, the semis should be much more even and bristling with high drama.
Hereโs the full schedule for the two semi-final games, all the information you need on how to stream the matches and a closer look at how each of the tantalising ties look set to play out.
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| Tuesday, Mar. 24 | 1 a.m. | New Zealand vs. South Africa | Auckland |
| Thursday, Mar. 26 | 3:30 a.m. | Australia vs. India | Sydney |
All matches can be streamed via Sky Go (UK) and ESPN Cricket 2015 (US).
Australia vs. India
India have been immaculate in their defence of the crown they claimed four years ago, winning all seven of the matches that theyโve played so far. In each game theyโve reeked of potential winners once again and will be extremely confident of continuing their run when they take on the co-hosts in Sydney.
Former England coach David Lloyd thinks this match isnโt one to be missed:
Australia have been in pretty special form themselves. Theyโve recovered from a narrow loss to New Zealand in the group stages to win all of their subsequent matches and have a host of star men thatโll be keen to show their very best form at this stage.
While the Baggy Greensโ batting line-up has been especially impressive, left-arm fast-bowler Mitchell Starc is the player to fear for this India team. As noted by the tournamentโs official Twitter account, heโs been bowling at a ferocious pace as of late and has helped himself to plenty of wickets:
Indiaโs batting line-up has been a little inconsistent and itโll be intriguing to see how they cope with Starc. But the championsโ key to success at this tournament so far has been their own crop of fast bowling talent; MS Dhoni will be hoping his team can work over some of the Baggy Greensโ batsmen in a manner comparable to Pakistanโs Wahab Riaz last time out.
At this juncture, India look the better balanced of the two sides. Theyโve been exceptional in the run up to this match and are the team best equipped to nullify the dynamic batting talents of players like David Warner, Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell.
PredictionโIndia
New Zealand vs. South Africa
The tournament seems to keep on getting better for New Zealand. After winning all of their group matchesโincluding a thriller against Australiaโthey hammered the West Indies to surge into the semi-finals, and in Martin Guptill, they look to have a player in magnificent form.
He was superb last time out against the Windies, hammering a World Cup record score of 237 during his time at the crease. Former Australia star Brett Lee paid tribute to what was a truly remarkable innings:
In addition to Guptill, players like Brendon McCullum, Daniel Vettori, Trent Boult and Tim Southee give this Black Caps side a very balanced feel, and going into this clash with South Africa, theyโll be confident of notching the result needed on home soil in order to progress to the final.
Both of the these sides have been labelled as chokers down the years after regularly wilting in the knockout stages of competitions. As noted by ESPN Cricinfo, regardless of which team comes out on top, that means we will be set for a first-time finalist:
South Africa showcased their quality after a comfortable win over Sri Lanka last time out and in skipper AB de Villiers they have one of the finest players in the game. But thereโs an underpinning sense that theyโre overly reliant on individuals hauling over them over the line and against a cohesive outfit like New Zealand, that will be exposed.
With raucous crowds backing them all the way to this point and some morale-boosting wins festering spirits within the group, the Black Caps look a formidable team in every sense of the word. Expect them to rise to the occasion here and book their spot in the showpiece finale at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
PredictionโNew Zealand
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