Nine World Cup semi-finals, zero World Cup finals. New Zealand and South Africa are no strangers to the last four, but neither has ever experienced the ultimate shoot-out.

South Africa are not the only country to have struggled with knockout games in previous World Cups. New Zealand have won only one such match.

Contentious-selection riddled, injury-ravaged, have Pakistan limped to this quarter-final, or have they surged?

At the start of the World Cup, defending champions India would have accepted gleefully the position they find themselves in - a quarter-final against Bangladesh

This has already dubbed been "the biggest game we've ever had" by Ireland's key batsman, Ed Joyce. The winner of this game is assured of a quarter-final place.

This is what it has come down to. The group stage of the World Cup will end with two Full Members, West Indies and Pakistan, fighting for their spot

Two teams at opposite ends of the Full-Member spectrum will finish their group-stage engagements tomorrow. As far as the World Cup is concerned, there is next to nothing riding on this match.

The penultimate day of the pool stage brings Australia and Scotland together in Hobart, with very different immediate futures ahead of them.

In some ways a meaningless match, in others quite the opposite. England and Afghanistan are both guaranteed to be going home regardless of what transpires at the SCG

For both these teams a place in the quarter-finals is safe - New Zealand courtesy of a serene run through the tournament and Bangladesh after their seismic victory over England

South Africa are as far away from pressure as they can get and that may be just what they want as they build up to the quarterfinals.

Defying all pre-tournament predictions, India are cruising the calmest sea towards top spot in Group B - another win will make it official

After a prolonged period of foreplay, we have reached the business end of the World Cup. For both sides this is, effectively a must-win match.

Australia's quicks are fast and fit. Their batsmen are explosive. They might not quite be New Zealand in the field, but they take their catches, make crucial saves.

New Zealand are unbeaten after four matches and every expectation is that they will be unbeaten after six when the group stage is finished. However, these next two games are as vital as the brace that have gone before them.

Safe South Africa. Precariously placed Pakistan. It could not be a better prospect. With one of the tournament favourites already looking to the knockouts and the other desperate to get there, Eden Park could see a clash of a strategies

Thirteen venues have been used so far in this tournament. On Saturday the fourteenth and final ground makes its 2015 World Cup debut: Bellerive Oval in Hobart.

The last time these sides played each other, West Indies pulled out of the tour of India midway over a payment dispute with their board. That led to a change in leadership and the exit of a couple of players.

If Bangladesh are to make the World Cup quarter-finals, they have to win at least two of their next three matches.

One win. One washout. One loss. Australia wouldn't have thought that the first half of their World Cup group matches would pan out this way. But you cannot control the weather, which was really bad in Brisbane, and as Michael Clarke said, Australia were beaten by a quality New Zealand side in Auckland. Afghanistan may just run into a keyed-up outfit determined to put that narrow loss behind them.