It's been one month and one day since the 2015 Cricket World Cup officially kicked off at Melbourne Cricket Ground, and the competitive pool has dwindled from 14 hopefuls to eight quarterfinalists.
Gone are Afghanistan, the UAE, Scotland, Ireland, England, and Zimbabwe, while India, South Africa, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, the West Indies, and co-hosts Australia and New Zealand remain.
If there's a team to pour one out for, it's the Irish. Their six points in group play should have been enough to advance, but they lost on a tie-breaker technicality to the Windies and Pakistan. If there's a team to shake your head at, its England. They performed ably in a preliminary Carlton Tri Series tournament, beating India twice, and came to this Cup with championship-sized aspirations -- and yet they'll be heading home early having mustered just four points.
Now the field of eight is set for the knockout stage. Here are the remaining quarterfinal matches and their set start times:
Sri Lanka vs. South Africa
3/18 @ 3:30 GMT (3/17 @ 11:30 PM EST)
Grounds: Sydney
Prediction: South Africa
India vs. Bangladesh
3/19 @ 3:30 GMT (3/18 @ 11:30 PM EST)
Grounds: Melbourne
Prediction: India
Australia vs. Pakistan
3/20 @ 3:30 GMT (3/19 @ 11:30 PM EST)
Grounds: Adelaide
Prediction: Pakistan
New Zealand vs. the West Indies
3/21 @ 1:00 GMT (3/20 @ 9:00 PM EST)
Grounds: Wellington
Prediction: New Zealand
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