ICC World Cup 2019: India Vs New Zealand, Australia Vs England: All you need to know about semi-finals

ICC World Cup 2019: India Vs New Zealand, Australia Vs England: All you need to know about WC semi-finals

Manchester, July 7: The semi-final match-ups in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 have finally been decided. The 45-game group stage ended with the match between Australia and South Africa and it the result of this very game that ensured who will play whom in the semi-finals.

Australia, India, England and New Zealand knew prior to Saturday's final group matches that they would be in the top four and that all that was to be decided was the end of group standings.

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India will play New Zealand in the first semifinal of the World Cup on Tuesday (July 9) at Old Trafford in Manchester. While hosts England will take on five-time defending champions Australia in the second on Thursday (July 11).

Here's all you need to know about the two semi-finals:

India finish at the top of the points table:

India's seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka at Headingley ensured that they ended on a winning note and leapfrogged Australia after their 10-run defeat by South Africa.

Australia's defeat in their final game means they slipped down to second at the end of the group stages and set up a meeting with England.

India's win and Australia's defeat meant that the 2011 winners topped the group and face fourth place New Zealand at Old Trafford.

The Match at Old Trafford starts at 3PM.

An intriguing India-NZ semi-final:

The India-NZ game will be an intriguing match-up as these two sides have not played each other at this World Cup. Their game at Trent Bridge on June 13 was abandoned without a ball bowled.

However, the BlackCaps defeated the Men In Blue convincingly in the practice game before the start of the tournament.

India finished the group stage with just one defeat - to England - to finish on 15 points from their nine matches. While after a good start to this World Cup, New Zealand lost three games - to Pakistan, Australia and England - and ended on 11 points from their nine games.

Australia face England at Edgbaston

Australia will face hosts England in Birmingham on Thursday (July 11) in the second semi-finals. The Men In Yellow, who are also the defending champions, made it to yet another semi-final. The Aaron Finch-led side will face dominant Eoin Morgan and his band in the knockout game with eyes on the finals.

The Match starts at 3PM.

Leading run scorer:

Rohit Sharma is India's dangerman with the bat with 647 runs in the group stage while Black Caps captain Kane Williamson has 481 runs.

Aaron Finch's men beat England by 64 runs at Lord's at the end of June. Captain Finch (507) and David Warner (634) have been Australia's stars with the bat while Joe Root (500) and Bairstow (462) are England's leading run scorers.

Rohit and Warner, along with Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan (606 and 11 wickets) are top contenders for the Man of the tournament award.

Leading wicket-taker:

Senior Australia pacer Mitchell Starc has picked up 26 wickets at this World Cup, while England's Jofra Archer has 17.

India's Jasprit Bumrah has picked up 17 wickets from 8 games while New Zealand's Lockie Ferguson has taken 17 wickets in 7 matches. Kiwi strike pacer Trent Boult has 15 scalps to his name in the tournament so far.

Starc - who was the leading wicket-taker in the previous edition of the WC - could also bag the Man of the tournament.