The Group Stage of the Cricket World Cup is now completed and so we have only 4 teams remaining who will each play an Elimination Semi-Final in the next couple of days followed by the Final. Congratulations to India, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand for making it through the Group Stage. Commiserations to Pakistan who finished 5th and I also have to give a good shout-out to Afghanistan who punched above their weight all tournament to get 6th. Getting close is not good enough though, so it’s all about the Top 4 from here.
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I’ve initiated the withdrawal from my HBD Savings for the Prizes of the Sweepstakes that I am running for the World Cup. Congratulations to @bitcoinman, @technico, @dfinney and @asgharali for making the finals. With a 70% to 30% split for 1st and 2nd that means 2 out of you 4 will be getting paid on Sunday! The Semi-Finals with a short preview are :-
The undefeated top team India plays 4th place New Zealand in what shapes up as a bit of a lop-sided contest. India have been unstoppable and have enjoyed playing in the local conditions in front of adoring crowds all tournament. New Zealand on the other hand dropped 4 games against all the other Top 5 teams (including Pakistan) and have looked consistently competitive without being spectacular. They are really up against it here but historically New Zealand have been capable of big upsets in important games.
Two teams that at times through the tournament have looked both dominant and vulnerable. At their best both of these teams pack incredibly powerful batting lineups so if the pitch is remotely flattish then another 1st Innings score of 400+ is definitely possible. This game probably comes down to whomever can bowl better and in that department I think that Adam Zampa is probably the point of difference between the teams. He is the top wicket taker for the tournament so far with 22 wickets so a good performance from him again here could deliver the win for Australia.
Only 3 more games left in the World Cup. Good luck if your team is still alive!