India 15pts
Pl 9 W7 L1 NR1
What shape are they in? Apart from the flop against England and the near stumble against Afghanistan, India are in fine fettle. A postmortem followed the peculiar run chase against England and when they next chased, against Sri Lanka at Headingley, they clocked off with six overs to spare. The last-minute change of semi-final has caused havoc for thousands of India fans who flocked to resale ticket sites, but India now have the easiest task against an off-colour and downhearted New Zealand.
Any injury worries? They lost Vijay Shankar with a broken toe and Shikhar Dhawan to a fractured thumb earlier in the tournament. Jasprit Bumrah has recovered from an injury scare against Afghanistan.
Who is their key man? Virat Kohli. India’s fire and ice. He has made five fifties holding the middle order together, without yet going on to get a hundred. He is due. Also an arch manipulator of his bowling attack.
Batting health check Rohit Sharma has been eating runs for breakfast, his century against Sri Lanka was his record-breaking fifth of the tournament and he is the competition’s leading run scorer with 647. KL Rahul has also chipped in with 359 runs but, Kohli apart, the middle order have not quite fired. Rishabh Pant adds fire; MS Dhoni’s powers seem to be waning.
Bowling health check The power is with Bumrah, the awkward clockwork marionette, the ace at the start of the innings, and at the death, with 17 wickets. Mohammed Shami is also a threat.
Australia 14pts
P9 W7 L2 NR0
What shape are they in? They were first to qualify for the knockout stages but have lost twice: against India, badly, then unexpectedly against South Africa in the final game of the round robin, which knocked them off top spot. They walked off the pitch at Old Trafford down at mouth and carry into the semi-final against England a hint of vulnerability – injury-hit and now destined for a must-win game at Edgbaston, a venue they have not yet played at in this tournament.
Any injury worries? Walking wounded. Usman Khawaja is out of the tournament after pulling his left hamstring against South Africa, leading to the call-up of Matthew Wade from the Australia A squad. Mitch Marsh has been drafted in as cover from there after Marcus Stoinis suffered a reoccurrence of his side strain in the same game. Starc was also seen clutching his knee. Shaun Marsh’s World Cup is over, after fracturing an arm in the nets. The only advantage of the Edgbaston semi-final is two days more recovery time.
Who is their key man? David Warner, back to his belligerent, brilliant best, with three hundreds and 600 runs in the group stage, nine runs behind Sharma. Booing? What booing.
Batting health check Warner apart, Alex Carey hit the ball superbly against South Africa and Aaron Finch has also crashed more than 500 runs.
Bowling health check Starc, player of the tournament in 2015, is well on the way to winning his second consecutive award. He has 26 wickets, equalling Glenn McGrath’s World Cup record, though he was oddly off‑colour against South Africa.
England 12pts
P9 W6 L3 NR0
What shape are they in? After hobbling through the early stages, losing against Pakistan and Sri Lanka as well as Australia, they laughed in the face of pressure in their two must-win games, easing to victory against India and thrashing New Zealand. They have re-embraced their favourite no-fear brand: Jonny Bairstow has fired himself up courtesy of Michael Vaughan, Jason Roy’s return is a calming influence, and the Liam Plunkett for Moeen Ali swap gives Morgan peace of mind in the middle overs. A semi‑final against Australia at England’s favourite ground – Edgbaston – is far preferable to the chance of meeting them in the final at Lord’s, where they rampaged in the group stages.
Any injury worries? Roy’s torn hamstring seems to be holding together after he missed three games; as does Mark Wood’s dodgy ankle and Adil Rashid’s shoulder.
Who is their key man? Morgan – England’s inner calm in a group of hot heads. He also needs to win the toss. But, after being bounced out by Mohammed Shami, he can expect Starc to be licking his lips.
Batting health check Good. England have scored seven centuries from five men, plus the ever-reliable Ben Stokes is averaging 55, so they are not as overly reliant on a batting talisman as the other semi-finalists. Jos Buttler has been quiet since his 75-ball hundred against Pakistan.
Bowling health check Just in time, they have stumbled on their best attack. Wood, Jofra Archer, Plunkett and Chris Woakes pose a near and present danger. Only Rashid has not fully fired yet.
New Zealand 11pts
P9 W5 L3 NR1
What shape are they in? Limping. They qualified with the lowest number of wins of any of the semi-finalists, on the back of three successive defeats, the last a whipping by England by 119 runs at Chester-le-Street. Finishing equal with Pakistan on points, they scraped through on run rate. The phlegmatic Kane Williamson has talked of “learning curves” and wiping the slate clean. But, even if they have lost the pizzazz that got them to the final in 2015 under Brendan McCullum, this is their fourth consecutive World Cup semi‑final – they know what they are doing. Their secret weapon against India on Tuesday may be the weather: rain is forecast.
Any injury worries? Lockie Ferguson, NZ’s Errol Flynn and the team’s leading wicket-taker, missed the thrashing by England because of a hamstring niggle. His absence reduced Williamson’s ability to shuffle his bowlers. New Zealand expect him to be fit to face India.
Who’s their key man? Williamson. More than 30% of New Zealand’s runs have come from his calm resolve and glide down to third man. Too much rests on those shoulders.
Batting health check Worrying. The top five have not found a way to fire together. Martin Guptill – three single-figure scores in the past four innings – and Ross Taylor, with a propensity for being run out, need runs.
Bowling health check Trent Boult with his knuckle balls and last‑overs reverse swing and Ferguson’s pace – up at about 93mph – give New Zealand a chance of a surprise if their batsmen can get enough runs.
