8 deadly duels that will decide the World Cup
The World Cup quarter-finals are nearly upon us. It’s all down to the eight teams who will give it their all to be amongst the last four.
Surely, new, unlikely heroes will emerge and we’ll see a few surprises on our way.
Nevertheless, the performance of these select few superstars is likely to be the difference-maker in these crucial set of fixtures.
Here are our picks for the battles to look forward to in the quarter-finals.
South Africa vs Sri Lanka
The battle for the semi-finals starts off with a blockbuster fixture at the SCG when AB’s South Africa take on Angelo Mathews’ silky Sri Lankans.
1. AB de Villiers vs Lasith Malinga
The spotlight will be on two players who have redefined the boundaries of modern cricket. First is of course, AB de Villiers, the South African superman who keeps astonishing us with his outstanding ability to dominate oppositions with his batting.
West Indies have already found themselves on his wrong side once and if Sri Lanka are to prevail in this game, they need to get one thing right: Get AB out early. To do that, they will look to their biggest and probably the only bowling threat, Lasith Malinga.
2. Kumar Sangakkara vs Dale Steyn
Sri Lanka’s biggest strength in the tournament has been their top order, and in particular, one gentleman who just can’t stop scoring centuries at the moment.
Kumar Sangakkara, playing in his last World Cup (Although it is hard to say why), seems in the form of his life and getting him out has remained a mystery for almost every single team. A sublime stroke-maker and an excellent reader of the game, Sanga has also shown us that he can score runs at a dangerous pace.
Surely, he will be South Africa’s biggest challenge on Tuesday, and they’re likely to turn to their bowling spearhead to tame the Sri Lankan. Dale Steyn hasn’t really lived up to his reputation in this campaign and the Proteas will be hoping that he finally unleashes his fury in the knockout stages.
Bangladesh vs India
Having steamrolled all their opponents on their way, India go into the quarter-finals as the most in-form team of the tournament. They’ve performed so well in all three departments, that it’s very difficult to bet against the Men in Blue.
But that’s what makes their opposition so dangerous. Having exceeded all expectations after knocking England out, Bangladesh have nothing to lose and they’ll play with a lot of freedom.
3. Shikhar Dhawan vs Shakib Al Hasan
We’ve seen glimpses of Virat’s brilliance, Rahane’s wonderful strokeplay, Raina’s swashbuckling ways and even MSD’s coolness. But Shikhar Dhawan has been India’s most devastating batsman by a long distance. The batting powerplay is a playground for Gabbar and getting him early will be key for Bangladesh.
The minnows turned to their biggest superstar, Shakib Al Hasan against the mighty Kiwis and it paid dividends as his deceptive spin helped them get rid of McCullum and Kane Williamson early. The all-rounder’s performance will be key yet again as they look to upset the unbeaten Men in Blue.
4. Mahmudullah vs Mohammed Shami
India have played exceptionally well as a team unit, but one man has been consistent all throughout this tournament. Mohammed Shami’s early breakthroughs and disciplined line has been instrumental to India’s success, which is evident from his tally of 15 wickets so far.
Mahmudullah, on the other hand, has emerged as an unlikely hero for Bangladesh with his back-to-back centuries against England and New Zealand. The latter was even more impressive considering the Kiwis have arguably been the best bowling attack of the competition. It will be interesting to see how an in-form batsman handles an in-form bowler.
Australia vs Pakistan
One of the most fascinating encounters in the last eight, it’s difficult to predict the outcome of this one, mainly due to Pakistan’s resurgent form.
After a horrendous start to the tournament with two straight defeats, the Men in Green have put on a series of spirited displays, notching up four straight wins to grab the third spot in the group.
5. Sarfraz Ahmed vs Mitchell Starc
If you were to name one man who has inspired Pakistan’s comeback, it has to be wicket-keeper batsman Sarfraz Ahmed. Ahmed has justified his promotion as an opener with match-winning displays against South Africa and Ireland, which earned him back-to-back Man-of-the-Match awards and secured Pakistan’s qualification.
He will be the first one on Australia’s list of Men-to-watch as the hosts look to put on another dominant display at the Adelaide Oval. When in doubt, the hosts have inevitably looked to Mitch Starc, who has emerged as their best bowler ahead of his namesake Johnson. This match will be no different.
6. Glenn Maxwell vs Wahab Riaz
Innovative batting has often been the difference maker in this tournament. And when you speak of innovation, you have to look no further than the Big Show, Glenn Maxwell.
Maxi’s wild batting can add a hundred runs to your predicted score in a flash and when he’s on song, even the world’s top bowlers can only watch and admire. To handle a character like Maxwell, you need some tactful bowling in the death overs.
Wahab Riaz has done just that for Pakistan on numerous occasions in this tournament.
New Zealand vs West Indies
New Zealand will surely go in as favourites in this one. With all due respect, West Indies have been below par against top oppositions, and have only just scraped through until now.
Two out of their three wins came against lower ranked teams and their top players have been disappointing in bigger games.
7. Chris Gayle vs Trent Boult
For all their inconsistency, in Chris Gayle, West Indies have a player who can single-handedly turn a game around on his day and they’ll be hoping that he does so on three more occasions.
For New Zealand, Trent Boult, the tournament’s second highest wicket-taker at this point, remains their strongest weapon and his opening spell will be crucial to their success.
8. Jerome Taylor vs Brendon McCullum
Thanks to their excellent performances with the ball, and to Brendon McCullum’s fiery displays at the top, the Kiwi middle-order has been exposed only a handful of times in this competition so far.
Baz knows only one way to play and his opening act will be crucial once again. West Indies will look to their opening bowling pair of Jerome Taylor and Jason Holder, two of their better performers in this tournament, to get rid of McCullum and the in-form Kane Williamson early to get an edge in this encounter.
