WC 2015 NZ vs SA: All you need to know about the first semifinal
Both teams bidding to reach the final for the first time
Auckland: New Zealand and South Africa face each other in the semifinals of the Cricket World Cup on Tuesday, with both teams bidding to reach the final for the first time.
Here are some things to watch for.
Captains Fantastic
New Zealand's Brendon McCullum and South Africa's AB de Villiers are the captains and stars of their lineups, and their performances on Tuesday will go a long way to deciding the game.
De Villiers has made 417 runs across six games at a strike-rate of 144 per 100 balls. While McCullum has scored fewer runs - 269 from seven innings - he has done so at the extraordinary strike-rate of 185.51.
Watch: Devastating de Villiers hits fastest ODI ton, sets new benchmark
McCullum expects a close semifinal, which would come as a contrast to the lopsided quarterfinals and the general theme of all New Zealand's games thus far, with the exception of a nerve-fraying one-wicket win against Australia.
"Both teams are playing aggressively, playing an entertaining style of cricket and both teams are trying to win key moments rather than not lose them. I expect the margin won't be far between both teams. We'll have one team that's never made it to the final celebrating and the others will take it in their stride," McCullum said.
Check out: How Brendon McCullum missed AB de Villiers’ record
Taking a loss in stride is hard to imagine for South Africa given its history of disappointing defeats at World Cups.
South Africa's World Cup woes
South Africa's history at World Cups is one of misfortune, miscalculation and form implosions. In 1992 it faced England in a rain-affected semifinal: South Africa needed 22 runs from 13 balls when it began to rain but when its target was recalculated to account for the overs lost, it faced the impossible task of 21 runs from one ball.
In 1996, as one of the favorites, it was eliminated in the quarterfinals. In the 1999 semifinal against Australia, South Africa needed only one run from the last four balls of the match to win but a mix-up and run-out ended the game as a tie and Australia advanced with a better record in the preceding stage.
As host in 2003, it failed to progress beyond the group stage when it bungled a run chase in a rain-affected match. In 2007 South Africa crashed out in the semifinals after being dismissed by Australia for 149 - its lowest World Cup score.
And in 2011 the South Africans were beaten by New Zealand in an acrimonious quarterfinal. Asked Monday what he remembered of that game, de Villiers simply said "we lost." "There are no regrets about that game. I felt in great form. I don't have any grudges about what happened in the past," de Villiers said.
Fickle weather
Auckland's weather is notoriously changeable and unpredictable and forecasts for Tuesday, and for the reserve day on Wednesday, have fluctuated in recent days. By Monday the chance of rain had grown to 60 per cent and the official forecast was for scattered showers.
The forecast for the reserve day is more favorable with warm temperatures and no mention of rain.
World Cup rules specify that every attempt must be made to complete at least a 20-overs contest if a match in the knockout rounds is affected by rain. The regulations allow for a game that has begun on a scheduled match day to be completed on the reserve day.
If no play is possible on either day, the team that was ranked highest after pool play will progress. That means that New Zealand, unbeaten in Pool A, will advance if weather prevents the semifinal being completed.