The Final Word, World Cup 2019 Podcast: Listen to Geoff Lemon and Adam Collins as they preview India vs New Zealand and England vs Australia semis

Day 40 at World Cup: India’s semi-final calculations were put out of kilter by South Africa’s upset win over Australia in the last round robin match on Saturday but they will not be too unhappy to meet New Zealand in the World Cup for the first time since 2003 on Tuesday.

Last month’s fixture at Trent Bridge between India and New Zealand was abandoned without a ball being bowled and it had looked like the only chance for the two sides to meet in the tournament would be in the July 14 final at Lord’s.

But South Africa’s thrilling 10-run win in a high-scoring match at Manchester, after India’s earlier victory over Sri Lanka, took Virat Kohli’s men to the top of the standings and set up a clash against the fourth-placed Black caps.

While Kane Williamson’s side will probably be relieved at having avoided pre-tournament favourites and hosts England, the 2015 finalists face a no less formidable opponent in India.

The twice champions won their last World Cup meeting against New Zealand at Centurion in 2003 but more pertinently are the only side to have been defeated only once in nine matches at the quadrennial showpiece this year.

On the other hand, Australia captain Aaron Finch is relishing a “blockbuster” Cricket World Cup semi-final against England at Edgbaston on Thursday but injury concerns threaten to derail the plans of the defending champions. Finch’s side slipped to a 10-run defeat to already-eliminated South Africa in their final round-robin fixture at Old Trafford on Saturday, a result that saw them knocked off top spot in the table. It means they now face the host nation in the semi-finals.

Here are Geoff Lemon and Adam Collins previewing the two semi-finals in their daily podcast.

Every day, The Final Word will team up with Firstpost to bring you a new episode from wherever Geoff and Adam are on the road. On trains and buses, in pubs, on the street, in parks, on barges floating down rivers, and anywhere else that they might end up.

They are also watching an awful lot of cricket, and can summarise all the matches that you didn’t have time to see, or can bring you into the discussion about the ones you did watch.

They will nominate their player of the day, who will probably not be the official man of the match, and will pick one moment or person or incident to go into The Final Word Hall of Fame, with an overall winner to come at the end of the tournament.

Tune in to The Final Word World Cup Daily tomorrow for Day 41.

With inputs from agencies.

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