Cricket World Cup final four includes the hosts, the 5-time champions, 2 contenders. But no England

MUMBAI, India (AP) — Host India, five-time champion Australia and long-time title contenders South Africa and New Zealand navigated the five-week first phase of the Cricket World Cup to reach the semifinals.

When the tournament got underway on Oct. 5, few could imagine a final four that didn’t feature defending champion England — the World Cup holders in both the one-day and Twenty20 formats.

But that script went awry on opening night as New Zealand beat England by nine wickets in rematch of the 2019 final that was only decided four years ago on a countback of boundaries after the game and a Super Over finished tied.

The England squad lost six of its first seven games and sat in last place on the 10-team standings until putting together back-to-back wins over Netherlands and Pakistan to finish a 3-6 record and in seventh place, one spot behind Afghanistan.

Then there was 1992 Pakistan, which stayed in contention for a top-four spot until the penultimate day of league stage but ultimately didn't get the results to fall its way.

So, after winning nine straight games to finish atop the standings, India faces fourth-place New Zealand at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday.

South Africa and Australia finished equal with seven wins and two losses apiece and will meet the following day at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The semifinal winners advance to the championship match on Sunday.

A look at the four semifinalists:

In pursuit of its third title, India set the benchmark – it beat Australia and Pakistan with consummate ease, then trounced England and South Africa. Perhaps its biggest challenge came from New Zealand at Dharamsala, but Virat Kohli’s 95 helped navigate past it.

India changed its combination when allrounder Hardik Pandya was ruled out with an ankle injury, and it ploughed on unbeaten. This was achieved through dominant performances with both bat and ball and playing in nine venues.

Kohli leads the run charts with 594 runs in nine games. Skipper Rohit Sharma is fourth with 503 runs – his strike-rate is the highest for any opener who has featured in all nine league games. Four of India’s six primary batters have posted hundreds in the tournament.

In the bowling department, Jasprit Bumrah is fifth with 17 wickets. Mohammed Shami has blitzed his way through batting lineups to pick 16 wickets at a remarkable average of 9.56 in just five games. Ravindra Jadeja is just outside the top 10 with 15.

“We’ve maintained some really high standards in terms of our execution (and) our intensity,” India coach Rahul Dravid said. “We’ve travelled the length and breadth of this country ... and I think what this team has done really well is it has really represented India fantastically. It’s played a really good brand of cricket.”

The other three teams have an onerous task at hand – how to stop this Indian juggernaut?

First up, it's the Black Caps who have the onerous task of facing the rampant home team in the playoffs. The New Zealanders opened with four consecutive wins before a loss to India at altitude sparked a run of four losses. They arrested that slide to win against Sri Lanka and qualify for a fifth successive World Cup semifinal.

New Zealand will take some confidence from winning at the same stage four years ago, when it beat table-topping India across a rain-affected two days in Manchester. A repeat of that would stun this cricket-loving country of 1.4 billion.

Australia is on a seven-match unbeaten streak going into the semifinals. Pat Cummins' lineup lost its opening two games to India and South Africa but rebounded strongly to secure a semifinal spot well ahead of time.

Opening batter David Warner, with 499 runs in nine games, and spinner Adam Zampa, with a tournament-leading 22 wickets, have led the turnaround.

Then, there is allrounder Glenn Maxwell, who set the tournament afire with two stunning knocks. The first was against Netherlands in Delhi, where he smacked the fastest World Cup century off only 40 balls.

The second was against Afghanistan in Mumbai when Australia was down to 91-7 in a 292-run chase. Maxwell, cramping and in pain, plundered an unbeaten, stand-and-deliver 201 off 128 balls in what is widely being regarded as one of the greatest ODI innings ever played. It set the momentum firmly with Australia as it prepares for the playoff stage.

The Proteas' ability to score big hasn’t gone unnoticed. It boasts the highest total in the tournament and, overall, has posted four of the dozen 350-plus scores.

Opener Quinton de Kock is second on the tournament scoring standings with 591 runs at a strike-rate of 109, and South Africa has two bowlers among the top six wicket-takers in the first stage.

In Lucknow, South Africa beat the Australians by amassing 311 on a two-paced pitch and then bowled them out for 177. Its early victory can induce confidence, but when it comes to playing Australia in a semifinal setting, there is a lot of history to get past for the Proteas.

South Africa lost to Australia in the 2007 semifinals by seven wickets. Back in 1999, the teams finished tied in a semifinal thriller at Edgbaston, with Australia advancing on higher run-rate in the Super Six stage.

“I was 10 years old in 1999, so don’t remember much," batter Rassie van der Dussen said. "In 2007, we didn’t execute plans on the day. Both those years, we really had a good chance, especially in ’99.

"I think, (in 2023) we have a good chance as well.”

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