5 World Cup matches to look forward to in the week of March 2-8

After a bittersweet first half which saw a lot of one-sided matches between the big teams and the Associates instead playing out a few nail-biters, the World Cup breaks for a day on the 2nd of March. But it is beautifully set up thereafter, with the stakes getting higher and quite a few ‘big’ teams feeling the heat. Here’s a look at 5 matches in the next week which can define the latter stages of the tournament:

#1 South Africa vs Ireland - 3rd March

Pool B: South Africa vs Ireland, Manuka Oval, Canberra – 9:00 AM IST 

We’re halfway into the tournament, and it's no surprise to see South Africa in second place. The same, however, cannot be said of Ireland, who find themselves in third place, comfortably ahead of the teams closest to them by virtue of having games in hand.

Both teams thrive on attacking cricket and will play without any inhibition. There has been a public display of angst by some Irish players with regard to suggestions of dropping Associate teams from the next edition and it seems to have had some impact on their performances.

South Africa also have a bit to prove after losing to India in a match they would have expected to stretch much closer than they did. A victory against Ireland will all but cement their position at the top half of the group. But Ireland have plenty more to play for. We should be set for a cracker.