The Cricket World Cup semi-finals happen on Wednesday and Thursday this week – reside on Sky Sports – however, with holders England very a lot not within the last 4, which staff do you have to assist?

Hosts India, five-time winners Australia, perennial semi-finalists South Africa and runners-up on the final two tournaments, New Zealand, make up the contenders. Here, we offer a cause to cheer on every of them as they appear to guide their spot in Sunday’s last in Ahmedabad.

Watch India tackle New Zealand within the first semi-final on Wednesday, with South Africa and Australia dealing with off on Thursday – each video games reside on Sky Sports Cricket from 8am (first ball, 8.30am).

India

Best consequence: Winners (1983, 2011)
2023 Group stage: 1st (Played 9, Won 9)
Leading run-scorer: Virat Kohli (594 runs)
Leading wicket-taker: Jasprit Bumrah (17 wickets)

Reason to assist India: Virat Kohli’s quest to make historical past.

Twelve years in the past, when India final lifted the World Cup trophy aloft on residence soil, a younger Kohli remarked upon the staff’s carrying of Indian nice Sachin Tendulkar on their shoulders across the outfield as he lastly received an ICC world match: “He [Tendulkar], has carried the burden of the nation for 21 years, it was time we carried him.”

Well, may it’s the flip of 35-year-old Kohli to perch on prime of his team-mates on the conclusion of Sunday’s last? And, would possibly he break one of many almighty Tendulkar’s data in steering the staff to victory?

Kohli matched Tendulkar’s mark of 49 one-day worldwide centuries as he struck his second for the match in his staff’s 243-run group stage win over South Africa.

It took Kohli – who averages 58.48 in ODI cricket – simply 277 innings to attain his forty ninth hundred, in comparison with 451 knocks for Tendulkar. He now will get two bites on the cherry to try to topple the good man by reaching a half-century of centuries in both the semi-final or last – all of the whereas carrying the burden of a nation on his shoulders.

Sound acquainted?

New Zealand

Best consequence: Runners-up (2015, 2019)
2023 Group stage: 4th (Played 9, Won 5, Lost 4)
Leading run-scorer: Rachin Ravindra (565 runs)
Leading wicket-taker: Mitchell Santner (16 wickets)

Reason to assist New Zealand: Boundary countback.

Come on. Have a coronary heart. Yes, all of us celebrated England’s beautiful Super Over win over the New Zealand to clinch the 2019 World Cup “by the barest of margins”, however what a method for the All Blacks to lose it – their inferior variety of boundaries struck in the end the decisive issue with the sport ‘technically’ tied.

Also, there was the second that noticed Ben Stokes choose up a type of stated boundaries in probably the most fortuitous of circumstances as, with 9 wanted from three balls on the finish of the England run-chase, he earned six of them courtesy of a deflection off his outstretched bat, diving for his floor when operating two.

It later transpired that, in response to the Law 19.8 of the MCC rulebook, the fiasco ought to solely have earned England 5 runs, not six, as Stokes and Adil Rashid had not crossed when the throw got here in from Martin Guptill at deep midwicket, that means just one run (along with the 4 overthrows) ought to have counted.

With England’s title defence nicely and really extinguished a while in the past, who higher to cheer on than the practically males of New Zealand, who additionally misplaced the 2015 World Cup last to Australia and have six additional semi-final defeats to their identify. Is it now lastly their time?

South Africa

Best consequence: Semi-finals x 4 (1992, 1999, 2007, 2015)
2023 Group stage: 2nd (Played 9, Won 7, Lost 2)
Leading run-scorer: Quinton de Kock (591 runs)
Leading wicket-taker: Gerald Coetzee (18 wickets)

Reason to assist South Africa: It’s time to lose the tag of World Cup chokers.

South Africa gave been to 4 semi-finals beforehand however by no means earlier than reached the promised land of a last, not to mention received the factor.

Those semi-final exits have encompassed a variety of feelings. There’s the agony of their 2015 defeat to New Zealand, through which Grant Elliott smashed Dale Steyn for the game-clinching six off the penultimate ball of the match.

There’s the distress of their 2007 exit to Australia, bowled out for 149 in a seven-wicket shellacking that it was hardly price displaying up for. Don’t overlook the excruciating embarrassment of their 1999 epic defeat in opposition to the identical opponents at Edgbaston, with Allan Donald run out stranded midway down the wicket after forgetting his bat on the non-striker’s finish – when only a single was required from 4 deliveries.

Then there’s the pure farcical scenes from 1992 which, within the days earlier than the DLS technique that’s now adopted, noticed South Africa require 22 for victory from 13 balls in opposition to England earlier than a rain delay. Following it, they wanted the identical quantity off a solitary supply and, naturally, had been knocked out of the competitors.

They ought to not less than keep away from the climate intruding on this event, with the sweltering environment of Kolkata taking part in host to their semi-final in opposition to Australia. Can they lastly banish these final-four demons of theirs?

Australia

Best consequence: Winners (1987, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2015)
2023 Group stage: third (Played 9, Won 7, Lost 2)
Leading run-scorer: David Warner (499 runs)
Leading wicket-taker: Adam Zampa (22 wickets)

Reason to assist Australia: One-legged magician Glenn Maxwell.

‘The best ODI innings ever’, in response to many – together with his captain Pat Cummins – deserves to married with a memorable World Cup win, not merely confined to the standing of, “oh, who scored that double-hundred for Australia in 2019 again, before India trounced them in the final?”

Don’t get me unsuitable, Maxwell’s astonishing knock in opposition to Afghanistan – 201 not out off 128 balls, rescuing his staff from 91-7 in pursuit of 292 to win, and barely capable of transfer on account of affected by cramp – is not going to be forgotten in a rush, however may even better context be positioned round it had been Australia to in the end elevate the trophy on a record-extending sixth event come Sunday night?

Had Australia misplaced that match, a semi-final spot was not even assured, with victory required in opposition to Bangladesh or for different video games to go of their favour.

Instead, they’re perched on the precipice of one other match win and when having been written off as ‘too outdated’ prior arriving in India. Try telling that to a sure 35-year-old who hammered 21 boundaries and a stonking 10 sixes in a really extraordinary innings on the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Enjoy Hindi protection of the primary Cricket World Cup semi-final reside on Sky Sports Arena from 8.20am on Wednesday.