Folomojo World Cup predictor: India to face England in the quarter-final, Pakistan out
A few days ago, a WhatsApp message predicting the outcomes of all the games from the ongoing World Cup 2015 went viral. It claimed that all the matches had been fixed, and turned out to be spookily accurate about the initial series of results.
Whether you agree with the accusations of match-fixing or not, you gotta agree with one thing– predictions are fun.
Now that all 14 teams have played at least three or more matches in their respective groups, we’re starting to get a clearer picture of the possible line-up for the quarter-finals. So, we decided to jump a little ahead and make our own predictions as to who will face off against whom in the last eight of the competition.
Unlike the ‘viral’ WhatsApp message, we’ve tried to go beyond mere guesswork and use our editorial judgement and knowledge of the sport to make our predictions, because we take our sports (and our fantasy sports) quite seriously.
Also, if you’re a Pakistan supporter, STOP READING!
Let’s look at Pool A first.
1. New Zealand
With only Afghanistan and Bangladesh left to face, co-hosts New Zealand are almost certain to finish top of the group, so there’s your A1.
2. Australia
They’re currently fourth, but considering how well they came back against New Zealand despite posting a poor total, we think they can still manage to win all three of their remaining fixtures and finish second. That’s your A2.
3. Sri Lanka
The Lankans are yet to face Australia and Scotland. Winning one of those two matches should see them finish third. That makes them A3.
4. England
With just 1 win under the belt, they’re currently below Bangladesh and Afghanistan in Pool A. However, they are yet to face those two and we believe they still have enough quality to win both of those fixtures and finish fourth. That makes them A4.
Let’s now look at Pool B
1. India
India’s remaining matches are against West Indies, Ireland and Zimbabwe. Even if they lose one of them and South Africa win all three of their remaining games, India should finish top based on the net run rate. So B1 is quite clear.
2. South Africa
After their disappointing show against India, the Proteas have come back strongly and shown us what they’re capable of. They should not have any trouble finishing second. That’s your B2.
3. West Indies
They’re yet to face India and UAE. While it will take something special to beat the in-form Men in Blue, the UAE game should be easy for the likes of Gayle and co. So despite not playing too well, the Caribbean side should still secure the B3 spot.
4. Ireland
This may come as a surprise, but Ireland have won 2 out of 3 so far, and one more win should give them 6 points. Even if Pakistan or Zimbabwe somehow manage to secure the same number of points, Ireland’s net run rate should still see them edge past the others. That makes them favourites to finish as B4.
Based on these predictions, here is the line-up for the quarter-finals.
QF 1: New Zealand vs Ireland
QF2: Australia vs West Indies
QF 3: Sri Lanka vs South Africa
QF 4: England vs India
Now that we’ve come this far, why not go a step ahead and predict the rest? Here’s the semi-final line-up based on our further predictions.
SF 1: New Zealand (QF1 winner) vs South Africa (QF3 winner)
SF2: Australia (QF2 winner) vs India (QF4 winner)
And now that we’re through to the semis, it would really be a shame if we didn’t complete the job.
Final: South Africa vs Australia
The outcome? Hold your breath.
We predict South Africa will go on to win this time.
We know we might be way off. But these are intelligent guesses based on current form of the participants. For all you know, these predictions may turn out to be freakishly true. The next few weeks should give us the full picture.
Meanwhile, do tell us if you agree with our predictions. Use #folothefever to share your own line-up for the quarter-finals and if you dare, you can even go all the way to the finals like us!
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