After Pakistan and West Indies both secured wins on the final day of an engrossing round of pool matches, the eight quarter-finalists for this year’s Cricket World Cup have been confirmed; this is where the serious stuff gets underway in earnest.
The round-robin format of this competition has churned out some intriguing fixtures but nothing quite compares to the high drama of knockout matches. A quick glance at the upcoming quarter-final schedule suggests we’re in for some quality encounters too.
Here’s the schedule for the last-eight of this fine competition and a closer look at two of the ties that particularly standout as each team looks to continue their march toward World Cup glory.
Matches can be streamed via Sky Go (UK) and ESPN Cricket 2015 (US).
Sri Lanka vs. South Africa
In some respects, it’s a shame these two have to face each other so early in the competition, because when one of these teams is knocked out, one of the tournament’s two outstanding batsmen to date will go with them.
Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara could well be playing his last ever one-day international match too. The 37-year-old has been in magnificent fettle at this tournament and is set to retire from this form of the game following the conclusion of the World Cup.
When you look at how he’s played Down Under, it’s a decision that is difficult to comprehend, per BBC Sport:
Sangakkara has played a variety of classy knocks to get Sri Lanka home in some important matches and the same could be said for the Proteas' AB de Villiers, who has been the other standout player at this tournament so far.
As noted by OptaJim, the pace at which De Villiers scores his runs is pretty sensational:
These two players have it in them to take matches away from opposing teams, but both Sri Lanka and South Africa share similar flaws. Not surprisingly, perhaps, they are both far too reliant on virtuoso displays from players like Sangakkara and De Villiers.
Consistency in their bowling attack is something both teams have strived for at this tournament up to now and you suspect that will be key here. Whoever can restrict the batting stars of the opposition the best could conjure frustrations among the power players in the team and as we’ve seen at this World Cup so far, that’s the way to go if you want to take wickets.
Pakistan vs. Australia
Two games into this World Cup it was difficult to comprehend the prospect of Pakistan facing Australia in a quarter-final match. But the 1992 winners have turned things around superbly to win four games in a row and will feel as though they have a decent chance of springing a big surprise when they tackle the co-hosts in Adelaide.
The calibre of bowling is something that has helped facilitate this turnaround in fortunes and, as noted by cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle, they've been particularly impressive at the end of the innings:
You suspect they’ll have to be even sharper with the ball if they’re to contain this belligerent Australia batting line-up, though. They’re a team who boast an array of adaptable stars with the bat and aside from their collapse against New Zealand, the Baggy Greens have looked like a formidable outfit indeed.
Mitchell Starc is a man who has been especially impressive with the ball in hand and he took more wickets than any other player in the pool stages. As noted by OptaJim, not only is he a strike bowler who can prise batsmen out, but he doesn’t concede many runs either, something that’s crucial at this stage of the competition:
Pakistan are a team that thrive more than most on confidence and they’ll come into this one under no pressure whatsoever. It’s a fantastic achievement for them to have qualified for the quarter-finals after such a tough start and they’ll be hoping the pressure of being co-hosts starts to bite for these Australia players here.
There’s undeniable expectation on the Baggy Greens, but in recent clashes they’ve not shown it. Michael Clarke will be looking to his experienced players to step up and lead the way in this one as Australia go in search of an unprecedented fifth World Cup triumph.
from Bleacher Report http://ift.tt/18OmHPL
via IFTTT March 15, 2015 at 05:23AM
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