2015 Cricket World Cup: South Africa take on New Zealand in titanic semi final battle

South Africa is taking on New Zealand in an epic 2015 ICC World Cup semi-final clash at Eden Park in Auckland tomorrow.

The Proteas will be looking to take revenge on the host nation who knocked them out in the quarter-finals during the previous World Cup held in 2011.

The match starts bright and early at 01:30 with cricket lovers sure to be glued to their headsets as both teams are only two wins away from a first Cricket World Cup triumph.

Here is a handful interesting facts on this semi-final contest between the so called favorites of the tournament.
• New Zealand and South Africa have played each other six times before in a World Cup. In 1992 New Zealand beat South Africa by 7 wickets. At the 2003 Cricket World Cup, South Africa once again were defeated by 9 wickets. Lastly at the 2011 Cricket World Cup South Africa were defeated by 49 runs. South Africa beat New Zealand in the 1996 and 1999 World Cup by five wickets and 74 runs respectively.
• The distance to the ropes beyond each end of the pitch is only 55 metres from the centre of the wicket while behind the batsman the rope is only 45 metres away.
• Total One Day International played: 61:New Zealand won 20, South Africa won 36, no result 5
• At Eden Park: Played 6: New Zealand won 3, South Africa won 3.
• South Africa have won three of their last four completed ODI’s against New Zealand at Eden Park.
• The Black Caps have lost the toss in the last 12 ODI’s they have played at Eden Park and have been put into bat on nine of these occasions, winning just one of these nine.
• Imran Tahir has bowled more balls (404) than any other player at this tournament; he and New Zealand’s Daniel Vettori are the joint top wicket taking spinners (both 15)

New Zealand’s top batsman:
Martin Guptill (498 runs)
New Zealand’s top bowler:
• Trent Boult (19 wickets)
South Africa’s top batsmen:
• AB De Villiers (417 runs):
South Africa’s top bowler:
• Imran Tahir (15 wickets):