Two teams – New Zealand and South Africa -- that know a thing or two about losing in the semifinals of the World Cup will look to take that all-important step come Tuesday and clinch a place in the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.
Undoubtedly, New Zealand have been one of the best teams at this World Cup, if not the best, with Brendon McCullum's side revelling on an aggressive approach and tremendous home support. That aggressive approach and home support will be on show at Eden Park come Tuesday, with McCullum asking his team for one more push to finally break New Zealand's semifinal jinx.
Six times the Kiwis have reached the last four of a World Cup, but a final appearance has still proved elusive. New Zealand and their droves of fans will certainly hope it is seventh-time lucky come semifinals day in Auckland.
"The boys are feeling pretty good," said New Zealand captain McCullum. "The guys just want to get out there and test our skills against a very good South African team in a crunch game. I think the way the team dealt with the pressures of the last game that should hold us in reasonable stead.
"We talk a lot about this being the greatest time of our lives and the trip that we've been on so far has been one that we'll all remember. The game is meant to be fun, go out there, express yourself, enjoy the occasion, put our best foot forward, and we'll see where the cards fall after that."
While South Africa will have to bank on the 11 players on the field and whatever help can be provided by their team from the bench, New Zealand will receive a huge lift from the home crowd. The supporters in New Zealand at this World Cup have been at a different level, with the frenzy, cheering and chanting more akin to a game featuring the All Blacks rather than the Black Caps.
The New Zealand players have certainly done an exceedingly good job of riding the wave of support rather than getting overwhelmed and with it drowned by it, and, no doubt, the entire team will look to those fans to carry them to the final line.
"When you are going good, it is great to have the crowd on your side like that," added McCullum. "Throughout this tournament it has been awesome to see how much the public are behind this team. We have had superb crowds all the way through this tournament.
"No one will forget the chant of Southee going around the Cake Tin or even Guptill last time and Boulty when we were here last and he was swinging through Australia. They are memories that will last forever. It is great to be playing this game at home."
The last time New Zealand played a big game in Auckland it proved to be one of the best of the CWC so far with the home team showing just enough composure to see off Australia in a ripper of a low-scoring contest. On that day the ball swung like crazy for both Trent Boult and Mitchell Starc, but with the weather expected to be less humid on Tuesday, the ball might not talk as much.
As has been the case for the majority of this World Cup, it might come down to the batsmen, and if New Zealand produce another innings like the one Martin Guptill managed against the West Indies in the quarterfinals on Saturday, even AB De Villiers will not be able to save South Africa.
The Proteas, though, are a different kettle of fish when it comes to bowling, with their fast bowlers doing a fantastic job of troubling the Sri Lanka top order, before Imran Tahir and JP Duminy won them the game with spin. New Zealand are not the greatest of players of spinners, and Tahir will play a big role in this semifinal.
Team news: New Zealand: McCullum has lost the services of express paceman Adam Milne for the rest of the tournament with a heel injury, with Matt Henry brought in as his replacement. If McCullum feels he needs a like-for-like replacement in the XI for Milne, Henry should walk in, otherwise it will be a battle between Mitchell McClenaghan, who did not have the greatest of times in the one match he played at this World Cup, and Kyle Mills, who is yet to play a single match but comes with bags of experience.
South Africa: De Villiers has to take a call on Kyle Abbott or Vernon Philander. Abbott has performed remarkably well every time he has been given an opportunity, but Philander is the more established star and in such a big game his batting ability will be an added bonus.
Expected lineups: New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum (capt), Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Grant Elliott, Corey Anderson, Luke Ronchi (wk), Daniel Vettori, Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Kyle Mills.
South Africa: Hashim Amla, Quinton De Kock (wk), Faf Du Plessis, Rilee Rosoouw, AB De Villiers (capt), David Miller, JP Duminy, Vernon Philander, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Imran Tahir.
Where To Watch Live
Get the Full Scorecard of the Match HERE
Get the Semifinal Blog As It Happened HERE
The first semifinal of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 – New Zealand vs South Africa – is scheduled to begin at 2 pm local time (6.30 am IST, 1 am GMT, 8 pm ET). Live coverage in India will be on Star Sports 1 and Star Sports 3, while regional language coverage is also available on Asianet Movies, Suvarna Plus and Jalsa Movies. If a TV is not available, viewers in India can also watch the semifinal via live streaming online on Starsports.com or Star Sports Live Pro.
Catch the action live in New Zealand on Sky Sport, while the match can also be live streamed on Sky Go NZ. Audience in South Africa can watch their team play the semifinal live on SuperSport or via live stream on SuperSport Live.
Viewers in the UK can watch the match live on Sky Sports 2 and Sky Go, while audience in the US can do the same on ESPN and ESPN Cricket. Catch the match live in Australia on Fox Sports or via live streaming on Foxtel and Cricket Australia Live. Viewers in the Middle East can catch the match on TV on OSN or live online on OSN Play.
