New Zealand vs. South Africa: ICC World Cup quarter-final match Preview
New Zealand is all set to take on the South Africans today in their quarter-final match of the ICC World Cup 2011 at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. This is the only quarter-final of the tournament, which has two teams who have never even made
it to the final of the mega event.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 has a number of reasons and explanations for not winning the World Cup, which include some bad luck and choking during big pressure situations. New Zealand on the other hand has been knocked out twice by Pakistan in the semi-final. The Kiwis
have long been a team on the fringes and have been known not to have big stars, but players with talent who can play together as a unit.
South Africa will go into the game clear favourites, as before the World Cup began they were among top three tipped to win the prestigious tournament. Despite their dubious record in the mega event, on paper South Africa has a complete team. The batting
line-up led by Captain Graeme http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Smith-c90600 is solid as ever. Hashim Amla is a model of consistency and has been a revelation in all forms of the game in the last couple of years.
The most important player for South Africa, when it comes to match winning ability, will have to be Jacques Kallis. Arguably one of the best all-rounders in the world, he has the ability to carry the team on his shoulders. He has a couple of good scores
in last two games and he does seem to be getting back to form.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Dale-c52110 Steyn is simply one of the best fast
bowlers right now and has the ability to get some bounce and swing from his varied deliveries. The leg spinner http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Imran-c64193 Tahir has been the missing link the team needed, as he has the ability to restrict runs and tempt the batsmen into taking risky shots. His
contribution to the team has helped South Africa make a real impact in the World Cup.
As for New Zealand, Brendon McCullum the underachieving wicket-keeper batsman has not been at his best so far in the tournament. He has the ability to take the game away from the opposition the longer he stays at the crease and performs flawlessly. On the
low bounce track in Dhaka, Brendon will have to come good for the Black Caps.
Ross http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Martin-c74834 Guptill is the player that has the ability to hold up one end, and if Brendon McCullum
does get going at the top, Guptill will be the man expected to tag along and build a quality partnership. The other McCullum in the team, Nathan McCullum, has also made himself an integral part of the squad. His batting has come good in recent games and he
has established himself as an all-rounder. Nathan’s off spin bowling has also been impressive and can make good use of conditions in Dhaka.
Jacob Oram is another player who has not hit his strides and if the big left-hander gets going, he can really hit some big ones at the tail end of the innings. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754’s bowling is their weak-link and the lack of a quality seam bowler can be their Achilles
heel. Overall, it is expected to be a good contest, but South Africa is expected to win it in the end.
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