New Zealand take on South Africa in the first semi-final of ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 at Auckland on Tuesday. The Black Caps are a team on a roll, having beaten every side they have come up against en route to the semi-final, while South Africa have been largely dominant barring a couple of losses. Cricket Scorecard: New Zealand vs South Africa, ICC World Cup 2015 Semi-Final 1 at Auckland
For a change, New Zealand head to a semi-final of an ICC event as the firm favourite. Their batting has done well throughout the 2015 World Cup, with either one of Brendon McCullum or Martin Guptill invariably getting them off to a good start. Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Grant Elliott, and Corey Anderson have all got sufficient batting practice as well. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, NZ vs SA: Teams eye maiden final appearance
With the ball, Trent Boult has been their standout performer. He is currently sitting pretty at the top of the list of wicket-takers, and looks likely to add to his tally at Auckland, a ground New Zealand have done particularly well on. Tim Southee’s form is a bit of a concern, having tapered off post his seven-wicket haul against England. However, if New Zealand win and he plays at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), the extra bounce might make him a more potent option for McCullum. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, NZ vs SA: 10 match facts you must know
Adam Milne unfortunately picked up an injury and will have to miss out on the two most crucial games of the World Cup. He has been replaced by Matt Henry, a young pace bowler who has done wonderfully in his short career. It is unlikely that he will be brought in for the semi-final though, given that Kyle Mills and Mitchell McClenaghan have been on the bench for the bulk of the tournament.
For South Africa, the form of Quinton de Kock will be most pleasing. With Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis remaining consistent as ever and AB de Villiers rewriting the record-books every few months, South Africa have a top four who are possibly the best in the world right now. However, the batting tapers off a bit after that, though David Miller and JP Duminy have both scored crucial hundreds already in the tournament. They are yet to succeed against high quality bowling though, and they are sure to get that against the Kiwis. Brendon McCullum’s unique appeal to NZ cricket fans ahead of semi-final against SA
Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander, Kyle Abbott, Morne Morkel, and Imran Tahir have been outstanding for South Africa. Philander is fit for the contest and Abbott, who played in place of the right-arm pacer, has at times out-bowled Steyn — a feat not to be taken lightly.
The last time these two sides met in a World Cup knockout match, New Zealand stunned South Africa first by sledging them relentlessly and then by knocking them out of the quarter-final in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. Protean skipper de Villiers has dismissed the possibility of that happening again. AFP reported that de Villiers said, “We obviously had a bit of a stoush with them four years ago. I think both teams have grown up immensely since that time and we’re different teams and play the game in different spirit.” AB de Villiers oozes confidence ahead of South Africa vs New Zealand semi-final match
On the whole, the match ought to be a cracker between two evenly-matched sides. South Africa have already discarded their much-dreaded “chokers” tag by beating Sri Lanka in the quarter-final, but the pressure on them to prove that was not a one-off incident will be enormous. If both teams play to their potential, the match is likely to be decided close to 100 overs into the game. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Complete Coverage
Squads:
South Africa: Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock (wk), Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers (c), Rilee Rossouw, David Miller, JP Duminy, Dale Steyn, Kyle Abbott, Morne Morkel, Imran Tahir, Vernon Philander, Farhaan Behardien, Aaron Phangiso, Wayne Parnell
New Zealand: Brendon McCullum (c), Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Grant Elliott, Corey Anderson, Luke Ronchi (wk), Daniel Vettori, Tim Southee, Matt Henry, Trent Boult, Kyle Mills, Nathan McCullum, Tom Latham, Mitchell McClenaghan
Time: 06:30 IST | 01:00 GMT
(Shiamak Unwalla, a reporter with CricketCountry, is a self-confessed Sci-Fi geek and cricket fanatic. You can follow him on Twitter @ShiamakUnwalla)
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