South Africa and Australia will battle it out in St Lucia for the rights to play Sri Lanka in the final of the 2007 World Cup. The game is a repeat of the 1999 semifinal, where Australia progressed to the final thanks to their super six win despite the semifinal ending in a tie. This time around, the super eights don’t count, and if there is a tie, there will be a bowl out to decide the winner.

Since that semifinal in Edgbaston 8 years ago, Australia have never lost any World Cup game. Their unbeaten record now stretches to an incredible 27 games, and it will need something special from South Africa to break the record. The two teams met in the group stage at St Kitts, and Australia won by 83 runs. Although the margin may suggest that the Australians won easily, let me assure you that South Africa were in with a serious chance when De Villiers and Smith were batting. Only when De Villiers was run out and Smith fell victim to cramps did the game shift in Australia’s favour.

Australia have been in excellent form at this World Cup, and the second ranked side in the world will start favourites for this game. Matthew Hayden has turned into a run machine, amassing 580 runs in 9 games with a strike rate of greater than a run a ball. Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke have not been as prolific, but have scored enough to ensure that the opposition do not take them for granted. Hayden scored the fastest century in World Cup history in the group stage game at St Kitts against the South Africans. He took Shaun Pollock to the cleaners in that game, and the Proteas struggled to recover from that early onslaught. Shaun Tait, with his fast yorkers, will play an important role for Australia. He was partly responsible for South Africa losing their way in the middle overs in the group game. However Tait can lose his accuracy when attacked, and the Proteas will have taken note of that fact. Tait has 19 wickets to his name in this tournament. Left arm spinner Brad Hogg, who dismissed Gibbs in the St Kitts game with a beautiful wrong un, has also claimed 19 wickets. Hogg is Australia’s weapon- the Proteas are not exceptional players of spin, and they do not have a quality spinner in their line up. Glenn McGrath, playing his last world cup, has sent 22 batsmen back to the pavillion.

South Africa are in their third World Cup semifinal. The road was filled with hiccups, with losses to New Zealand, Bangladesh and Australia. They had a must win game against England where they annihilated the English. That would have helped in relieving the chokers tag that has been thrust upon them. The South African bowling composition is unclear. Should they choose to stick with the same team that bundled England out for 154, Makhaya Ntini misses out. Langdevelt might open the bowling to shield Pollock from Hayden. Although the pitch is expected to be on the slower side, it is unlikely that they will play Robin Peterson. There will be a little bit of moisture early on, and the seamers must exploit those conditions if they get first use of the cherry. Herschelle Gibbs, possibly playing his last world cup, will be keen to atone for the dropped catch in the super six game 8 years ago. Graeme Smith was a doubt with his knee injury, but given the importance of this game, he will play. Much will also depend on the way Kallis, De Villiers and Boucher play. Mental toughness is important.

Australia start favourites and a repeat of the 1996 final looks imminent. But the South Africans will be keen for revenge, and on their day the Proteas can make the best team look ordinary. They can also chase big totals- the 434 being an example. And in cricket’s biggest event, one bad day can send you out. The South Africans are underdogs and have absolutely nothing to lose, and this might just work in their favour. The Aussies simply need to guard against over confidence, which looks like the only thing that can see them going out at this stage. Enjoy the game

After two days of rest, the World Cup is now in its penultimate stage- the semifinals.New Zealand and Sri Lanka will clash in the first semifinal at Kingston in Jamaica.

Both the teams won their respective groups with considerable ease. New Zealand suffered two defeats in the super eight- one to Sri Lanka, and the other one to Australia. The manner of their defeat to the Aussies would have certainly hit them hard- a 215 run loss in the last super eight game. It would not have done any good to the Kiwi morale, but you need to take into consideration the fact that Shane Bond did not play . Bond is easily the best bowler in their side, and his pace combined with the assistance the Sabina pitch offers early on could be one of the factors which decides the outcome of this game. If the wicket slows down later in the day, Vettori and Patel will have important roles to play. With the bat, Stephen Fleming and Scott Styris will shoulder most of the Kiwi hopes. New Zealand bat all the way down to no.9. Bond at 10 is not a mug with the bat at all.

Sri Lanka  emerged from the group of death unscathed, and only suffered defeats to Australia and South Africa en route to Kingston. The return of slingy fast bowler Lasith Malinga will be a huge boost for them. He had missed the last few games with an ankle injury, and the variety he offered was sorely missed by the Islanders. Dilhara Fernando is expected to support Vaas and Malinga in a three pronged pace attack, with Murali being the spinning option. That means Farvez Maharoof misses out. Jayasuriya will be the key at the top, for the way he tackles Bond could set the tone for the game. Jayawardene and Sangakarra are the other batsmen the Kiwis will have to watch out for. Sri Lanka bat fairly deep, although their lower order does show signs of collapsing from time to time. The Kingston ground is new to both teams at this World Cup.
Both the teams have played each a fair amount of times, and this game is a toughie to predict. The assistance for pace bowlers and the presence of Bond might swing it the way of the Kiwis. But remember that the Kiwis have never reached the final of a World Cup in four attempts. Sri Lanka have, and the last time they reached the final, they won the World Cup in 1996.

In a match which will see a great batsman and an intelligent coach step down at the end of it, West Indies take on England in the last super eight game of this world cup.

For the West Indies, this match is the last one for the man who has arguably been their best batsman for the better part of a decade and a half- Brian Charles Lara. He is their captain and at the age of 37, is one of the oldest players in their side. Still, he stands out as their best man to wield the willow and this game, his 299th, will see the curtains come down on his ODI career. The West Indies will be keen to win this game,and in their path lie England, who have had an equally disastrous World Cup. The Windies had a great start to the tournament, topping their group with an all win record, but the Calypsos have simply crumbled when it mattered the most.  In their super eight games, they have only won one game- that too against Bangladesh ( add a group stage win against Ireland). This will be West Indies’ first game of the World Cup at the Kensington Oval. Chris Gayle has had a horrendous tournament, which is more sad given the fact that he was expected to be one of their key players. When you look at the statistics of this world, the Windies only have two players in the list for most runs and most wickets- Ramnaresh Sarwan with the bat and Darren Powell with the ball. These two will play a key role, as will Mr.economical Corey Colleymore, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Lara himself.

If the West Indies have to say goodbye to Lara, England will have to bid adieu to their coach and mentor of 8 years, Duncan Fletcher. England’s two wins in the super eight have also come against Bangladesh and Ireland, and they have faltered against the other teams. The game against South Africa was their last chance for a spot in the last four, but a dismal batting performance ensured that did not happen. Kevin Pietersen has been their batting mainstay in this tournament. Michael Vaughan has had a horrible tournament. He showed some signs of form against South Africa, but it wasn’t enough. The rest of the top order has struggled too, and not getting a good start has been one of England’s biggest problems in the Carribean.England’s highest wicket taker is Flintoff who again hasn’t performed well with the bat.

The Kensington Oval is expected to be packed, as everybody will want to see Brian Lara for the last time. The crowd support may just act as the twelfth man, and that is why I put the Windies as marginal favourites to win this game. England will have to play really really well, if they are to retain their 5th spot in the tournament.

Australia take on trans Tasman rivals New Zealand in their final super eight game at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.

The Aussies are the only unbeaten team in the tournament so far, and their winning streak now is an unbelievable 26 games, right from the 1999 semifinal tie against South Africa. The way they have gone about their job in the Carribean means that they are again prime favourites to make it three in a row. Australia will however remember the 3-0 whitewash New Zealand inflicted upon them in New Zealand before coming to the Carribean and they will be keen to atone for that. Shane Watson is expected to return to the squad, and it will most probably be Brad Hodge who will make way for him. The Australian batting has been in excellent form- Hayden, Gilchrist, Ponting and Clarke are in excellent touch. Their bowling has been brilliant as well, and you can be sure of a pace battle between Shaun Tait and Shane Bond.

New Zealand have performed above expectations in this tournament. They are also the only team that can occupy top spot in the super eight table. To usurp that spot from Australia will need a massive effort, and if they do manage to pull it off, they will book a semifinal against South Africa. In the event that they lose, or do not win by a large enough margin, they will play Sri Lanka. The main factor for the Kiwis is the momentum, and Fleming’s men are certainly on a roll. Jacob Oram is out of this clash with a heel injury, and the balance the big man lent to the lineup will be slightly disturbed. Michael Mason and Mark Gillespie might get a game, but that will mean that Patel sits out. Scott Styris and Fleming will be the mainstays for the batting.

Bond is a key factor in this game. He wrecked Australia with a splending bowling performance in 2003, but the rest of the bowlers were unable to support him and Australia escaped thanks to Bevan and Lee. Neither of the two will play at the Kensington Oval in this game. Australia are favourites though, and I’d expect them to end their super eight on a winning note