March 23, 2015
Cricketing history will be made at
Eden Park in Auckland on Tuesday when New Zealand and South Africa get the
semi-final stage of the tournament underway.
Neither country has ever managed to
make it past this hurdle to a World Cup final, so it will be new ground for one
of them after Tuesday’s match in front of what’s sure to be a packed crowd.
Nine times these two teams have
previously made it to this stage – six for New Zealand (1975, 1979, 1992, 1999,
2007, 2011) and three for South Africa (1992, 1999, 2007).
The competition, which began back on
February 14, is down to the final four, with India to take on Australia in the
other semi-final on Thursday.
New Zealand, known as the Black
Caps, has been perhaps the most impressive side all tournament long.
The Kiwis strolled past Sri Lanka,
Scotland, England, Afghanistan and Bangladesh during the group stage, with
their only struggle a thrilling one-wicket win over fellow co-hosts Australia.
They then dismantled the West Indies
in the quarter-finals, led by Martin Guptill’s record-breaking 237 not out.