Thursday, November 16, 2023, at Kolkata, India’s famous Eden Gardens venue, is the day of the much-awaited second semi-final of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. Cricketing heavyweights South Africa and Australia will square off in an exciting match to see who makes it to the final.

The two sides’ most recent encounter took place in Lucknow during the tournament’s group stage, with South Africa winning by a commanding margin of 134 runs. Quinton de Kock brilliant century (109 off 106 balls) established the Proteas’ batting supremacy, and the team’s win was further solidified by Kagiso Rabada’s outstanding bowling performance (3/33) and the two wickets each that Tabraiz Shamsi, Keshav Maharaj, and Marco Jansen took.

Australia and South Africa are playing one other in the semi-finals for the third time; they drew the first encounter in 1999 at Edgbaston and won by Australia seven wickets in St Lucia in 2007. The victor of this semifinal will play against either New Zealand or India in the championship match. The final will take place on November 19, 2023, in Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium.

In the interim, before South Africa and Australia square off in the 2023 World Cup Semi-Final-2, consider these significant figures and statistics:

Head-to-head Records: Out of 109 games played between the two sides, Australia has won 50 times and South Africa has won 55. One match ended in a draw, and three other matches resulted in ties. Australia and South Africa have played seven World Cup matches together. One game ended in a tie, and both clubs have won three games apiece.

6 – Kagiso Rabada (494) needs six wickets to complete 500 wickets in international cricket.

1 – Aiden Markram (49) needs one maximum to complete 50 sixes in ODI cricket.

3 – Travis Head (47) needs three sixes to complete 50 maximums in ODIs.

1 – Marcus Stoinis (49) is one big hit away from reaching 50 maximus in one-day internationals.

2 – Marcus Stoinis (48) also requires two scalps to reach 50 wickets in the 50-over format.

102 – Glenn Maxwell (898) needs 102 runs to complete 1000 runs in the ODI World Cup.

4 – David Warner (296) needs four sixes to complete 300 sixes in international cricket

1 – Lungi Ngidi (199) needs one scalp to get to 200 wickets across formats.

68 – David Miller (932) needs 68 runs to Complete 1000 ODI runs

108 – Glenn Maxwell (3892) needs 108 runs to complete 4000 ODI runs.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) found itself in hot water before the India vs. New Zealand ODI World Cup semi-final match at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday, November 15. The BCCI was accused of altering the scheduled surface. For the high-profile match, the BCCI chose to utilize an old pitch rather than a “fresh pitch” sanctioned by ICC pitch specialist Andy Atkinson, according to a Daily Mail story. Former captains of the Indian team, Sunil Gavaskar and Michael Vaughan, shared their thoughts on the subject.

As the pitch is available to all teams, I don’t think there needs to be a lot of debate over what this pitch will or won’t do. This Indian team is definitely capable of managing any surface, in my opinion. You’ve already witnessed that in the competition. Additionally, if the pitch is drier—which it probably is because the rains have stopped— Therefore, there won’t even be a trace of wetness. Indeed, there will be one in which there may or may not be a small amount of spin. However, Gavaskar told India Today, “I don’t think there should be too much of a problem because the Mumbai pitch is generally very good for batting.”

“I don’t think there would be much of a problem with the pitch given the caliber of bowlers we have who have bowled exceptionally well, whether bowling first or second. This usually happens, I believe, the night before a game when you have nothing to write about and you attempt to write something because you want to fill your columns and you want to speak about pitches and things like that. It makes no difference to me. They converse without a doubt about whether the pitch changes after the toss. However, the 74-year-old continued, “I don’t think any noise should be made at all if the pitch is the same before the toss.

It was on his official ‘X’ (formerly known as Twitter) handle that Michael Vaughan said the semi-final ought to be played on a new field.

“New ground should be used for a World Cup semifinal. The former England captain wrote on X, “It’s as easy as that.

It is necessary to acknowledge that this conflict has somewhat overshadowed the intriguing semifinal match between two of the top cricket teams.

India advanced to the tournament’s semi-finals and will take on New Zealand at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium after winning all nine of their league matches in the 2017 ODI World Cup. Prior to that, Mumbai police had received reports of ticket resale and are actively investigating the matter.

Tickets priced between INR 25,000 and INR 50,000 are being sold, according to Praveen Munde, DCP (Circle-1). He said that an additional investigation is presently in progress and that his team has already gotten in touch with the accused.
“The World Cup match ticket for New Zealand vs. India, which normally costs between Rs. 2500 and Rs. 4000, was being sold for Rs. 25000–50000. Our team got the information, got in touch with the accused, and things got done. The inquiry into the matter is still ongoing, according to Praveen.

This is nothing new in the ongoing competition, though. Numerous such instances were discovered during the league stage, but thus far neither the cricket board nor the municipal authorities have been able to stem the flow.

However, India’s matchup with New Zealand in the semifinals is a rematch of the competition from 2019. The Men in Blue have a painful history of losing to the Kiwis in knockout matches, as evidenced by their recent defeat in Manchester. against November 15, though, the Rohit Sharma-led team will be confident in their chances as they take on New Zealand because they are playing in fantastic form.

Since their current playing lineup has been effective, India is unlikely to alter it. Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli each scored fifty runs in their last league match against the Netherlands, while Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul each scored a century. All of the hitters are hitting well right now. Bowlers have also performed admirably thus far.

New Zealand strikes the ideal balance in this regard. In the most recent encounter, Trent Boult displayed his class, while youngster Rachin Ravindra has been one of the tournament’s performers. As a result, when these two teams play, a fantastic match is anticipated.

In the current ICC Cricket World Cup, South Africa and Australia will play in the second semi-final. On November 16, the explosive match will take place in Kolkata’s renowned Eden Gardens. At the same time, the opening knockout match between New Zealand and India is set to take place at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium one day earlier. South Africa captain Temba Bavuma participated in a longer-than-30-minute optional training session prior to the crucial match.

The 33-year-old batsman in Kolkata completed a few circuits around the outfield. After that, he performed a few fitness exercises as directed by strength and conditioning coach Runeshan Moodley and team physiotherapist Sizwe Hadebe.

After that, the leadoff hitter resumed his shuttle runs, increasing his pace with each forward and backward loop. Even though he occasionally stooped and put his hands by his sides, he didn’t appear uncomfortable when jogging. It was also noticed that the leadoff hitter had some strapping on his leg.

Later in the workout, he was observed conversing with coach Rob Walter after shadow-batting with a stump. After observing Rassie van der Dussen’s batting, he went to the net and batted with a stump. Even so, the first hitter advanced to knock a few balls down the field.

“During the past 72 hours, there have been positive, objective indicators of improvement with Temba’s right hamstring strain. The South African medical team told ESPNcricinfo, “We will continuously assess his progress through the management plan over the next few days to give him the best chance to play on Thursday.”

Temba Bavuma was working on Monday as “part of the rehabilitation strategies of the recovery plan,” not for a fitness test, the medical team also made clear.

India advanced to the tournament’s semi-finals and will take on New Zealand at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium after winning all nine of their league matches in the 2017 ODI World Cup. Prior to that, Mumbai police had received reports of ticket resale and are actively investigating the matter.

Tickets priced between INR 25,000 and INR 50,000 are being sold, according to Praveen Munde, DCP (Circle-1). He said that an additional investigation is presently in progress and that his team has already gotten in touch with the accused.
“The World Cup match ticket for New Zealand vs. India, which normally costs between Rs. 2500 and Rs. 4000, was being sold for Rs. 25000–50000. Our team got the information, got in touch with the accused, and things got done. The inquiry into the matter is still ongoing, according to Praveen.

This is nothing new in the ongoing competition, though. Numerous such instances were discovered during the league stage, but thus far neither the cricket board nor the municipal authorities have been able to stem the flow.

However, India’s matchup with New Zealand in the semifinals is a rematch of the competition from 2019. The Men in Blue have a painful history of losing to the Kiwis in knockout matches, as evidenced by their recent defeat in Manchester. against November 15, though, the Rohit Sharma-led team will be confident in their chances as they take on New Zealand because they are playing in fantastic form.

Since their current playing lineup has been effective, India is unlikely to alter it. Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli each scored fifty runs in their last league match against the Netherlands, while Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul each scored a century. All of the hitters are hitting well right now. Bowlers have also performed admirably thus far.

New Zealand strikes the ideal balance in this regard. In the most recent encounter, Trent Boult displayed his class, while youngster Rachin Ravindra has been one of the tournament’s performers. As a result, when these two teams play, a fantastic match is anticipated.

India won easily against New Zealand earlier in the ODI World Cup 2023, but the Men in Blue cannot afford to underestimate them in this first semi-final. Since the Black Caps have caused India problems in several previous knockout games, India’s head coach, Rahul Dravid, is being careful this time.

The 50-year-old discussed the matter and said that although there is pressure on them because it’s a knockout game, he believes his boys can prepare well and win at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium. Since he is aware that a single defeat might alter the sentiment of the supporters, he intends to concentrate on the preparations before the November 15 game.

“To pretend that there won’t be any semi-final pressure would be to be inauthentic. There is no guarantee that you will win any cricket games. All you can do is try your hardest to get ready, which is what we’ve been doing. Things appear nice when they’re going well. Speaking to the broadcasters following India’s decisive victory against the Netherlands in the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023, Dravid said, “One loss and everyone says you don’t know anything.

Recent reports suggest that Prithvi Shaw, a dynamic opening batsman for the Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League (IPL), is about to leave his current team. In order to get ready for the impending IPL 2024 season, it is likely that he will be traded to Sunrisers Hyderabad. Prithvi Shaw had set high expectations for himself early in his career, but he hasn’t been able to live up to them, which is why the franchise decided to change things up for the upcoming IPL season.

An Australian club cricketer, Gareth Morgan of Mudgeeraba, stunned spectators by taking six wickets in the final over of a one-day match in the Premier League Division 3 on the Gold Coast against Surfers Paradise. It was a remarkable turn of events. Morgan turned the tide and sealed an incredible victory despite looking like he was going to lose.

With six wickets remaining and Surfers Paradise needing just five more runs to win, Mudgeeraba skipper Gareth Morgan took charge. His amazing performance came after that. At the age of 65, Morgan removed Jake Garland, the first hitter. Morgan then masterminded a spectacular sequence that saw the next five batters, all ejected for golden ducks, return to the pavilion without allowing any runs to be scored.

Recalling the encounter as “bizarre,” Morgan revealed that the umpire had joked, before the over, that he would need a hat-trick to win. By a strange stroke of luck, Morgan’s performance surpassed all expectations.

“It was then that I thought, ‘I want to win this game,’ after I scored the hat-trick. It then simply went insane. I was in disbelief when I saw the stumps return on the final delivery. According to The West, Morgan said, “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

In the final league match of the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023, India easily trounced the Netherlands by 160 runs, as was predicted. The competition marked the ‘Men in Blue”s tenth straight victory. For the Indian supporters, Virat Kohli first wicket in nine years in ODI cricket was the cherry on top.

After deciding to bat first, India scored 410/4 on Sunday in front of a raucous crowd at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The Netherlands, in response, were bowled out for 250. Following the conclusion of the first inning, the outcome of the match seemed inevitable because it would never be simple to chase 411 against a bowling team as hot as India. Still, few would have guessed that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, rather than Mohammed Shami, who is currently playing well, would be listed in the wickets column.

In the prior games, too, fans had insisted that Kohli get the ball. Prior to the Netherlands game, captain Rohit had only made three deliveries with him. The fervent Bengaluru audience yelled “Kohli ko bowling do [Give Kohli the ball],” and Rohit complied.

Dutch skipper Scott Edwards and Sybrand Engelbrecht shared a 39-run fourth-wicket stand till Kohli dismissed Edwards in his second over, caught behind down the leg-side. KL Rahul sprinted to his left to accept a well-executed catch. Kohli and his colleagues were ecstatic, as the audience sent out a cheer.

Cricket fans experienced a wave of nostalgia after witnessing Kohli’s dismissal of Kane Williamson in the 2008 U-19 World Cup semifinals. The Delhi player bowled a delivery that was identical to the one he bowled to Edwards, but missed Williamson’s willow. But then Shreevats Goswami lost his footing and stumped the Kiwi batter cleanly.

Earlier this month, veteran player Paul Compton of the De La Salle Kingsgrove Cricket Club in Sydney achieved a noteworthy milestone when he claimed his 1000th wicket for the side. In his 40th season with the team, the 60-year-old, who started his senior cricket career with DLSKCC in 1983, accomplished this milestone. In the final over of Peakhurst Park’s match versus Coogee Bay this past weekend, he had his historic moment. With a top-edged pull shot from Finn O’Neill, which partner Achilleas Spanos expertly collected at short mid-wicket, Compton claimed his 1000th wicket.

Paul Compton became a life member of the DLSKCC in 2011 after winning seven premierships. a career high of 8–30 against the Allwah Hunters in 1987 served as a career high. The previous January, he scored his first career hat-trick against Illawarra Catholic Club. Remarkably, Compton disclosed that he was more excited about his hat trick than about hitting the 1000-wicket mark.

“I was more excited about getting a hat-trick than I was about taking the 1000th wicket.” I swear, I must have made nearly 80 attempts. So many have been reported. “Releasing that burden from my back felt amazing,” Compton said to Fox Cricket.

Paul Compton said, “That last hundred was the hardest; I just wanted to get it done.”
A total of 422 clean bowled dismissals, 458 catches, 113 leg before wickets, two stumpings, and one hit wicket comprised his incredible 1000 wickets for the team. Compton said that he experienced moments of frustration throughout his quest for this momentous milestone, as the final 100 wickets proved to be a very difficult task.