All you need to know about the WC knockout stage

The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup India 2023 semi-finals and final are upon us, with the four remaining teams gearing up for three mammoth One Day International clashes. Here’s everything you need to know:

Match schedule, venues

Wednesday, November 15 – Semi-Final 1: India v New Zealand

The tournament hosts face the Kiwis in a repeat of a semi-final from the 2019 World Cup. This match will be held in Mumbai at the Wankhede Stadium. A “cricket capital” of sorts, the Wankhede hosted the final of the Men's Cricket World Cup the last time it was held in India back in 2011. The distinct red-soil pitch will no doubt play its part.

Thursday, November 16 – Semi-Final 2: South Africa v Australia

Big-hitting South Africa and Australia meet in a highly-anticipated match-up at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Before the Narendra Modi Stadium’s renovation, Eden Gardens held the title for the largest venue in India with a capacity of 68,000. The ground did not see World Cup action until October 28. The ground is known for its lively pitch and breezy conditions next to the Hooghly River.

Sunday, November 19 – Final

The winners of the two semi-finals will meet in Ahmedabad. The largest sports stadium in the world hosted the tournament opener on October 5, India's win over Pakistan on October 14, and is the venue for the tournament final. The 132,000-capacity venue’s redevelopment was completed in 2021, hosting a day-night Test between India and England, as well as the last two Indian Premier League finals.

How the teams qualified

India cruised through the group stage, finishing top on a maximum 18 points having won all nine of their matches. India's net run rate of 2.57 was far and away the best in the group stage. South Africa were the second team to qualify, winning seven of their nine matches. An early loss to the Netherlands was a shock, and they also slipped to a heavy defeat to India after both teams had already secured qualification. Australia bounced back from defeats to India and South Africa in their opening matches to win the remaining seven and qualify with 14 points. New Zealand were the final team to qualify for the knockout stage, with a win over Sri Lanka and Pakistan's subsequent loss to England earning the Kiwis fourth spot. Four defeats on the bounce after a strong start saw the Black Caps finish with 10 points.

The squads

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Lokesh Rahul (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan, Prasidh Krishna, Suryakumar Yadav

South Africa: Temba Bavuma (c), Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen, Lizaad Williams

Australia: Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis (wk), Sean Abbott, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc

New Zealand: Kane Williamson (c), Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham (wk), Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Will Young

World Cup pedigree

Tournament hosts India are eyeing a first major International Cricket Council tournament win in 12 years, and will have the crowd on their side on home soil, as they did in 2011. South Africa’s men are hoping to reach a first-ever World Cup semi-final, after their women's team ended the nation's wait for a final appearance earlier this year. Australia are the most successful nation in the history of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup and would make it six wins should they triumph in India. New Zealand have reached the knockout stages of five consecutive ICC Men's Cricket World Cups, but were beaten finalists in each of the last two editions.

Reserve days

Both semi-finals and the final can use a reserve day should a result be unable to be reached due to weather.

Prize money

An overall $10m pot has been announced for the tournament. The winners of the tournament will take home $4m, with the runners-up winning $2m. Teams will also collect $40,000 for every group stage win.