So far so good for the Proteas in the ICC Cricket World Cup. They topped Group B, winning 5 of their 6 matches, and have looked dangerous in doing so. They have every reason for optimism as they approach the knockout stages with the Quarterfinals, which start this week.
As for the other African entries, Zimbabwe surpassed expectations, finishing out of the money in Group A but still taking a respectable fifth and winning two matches in the process. Kenya finished bottom of the ledger in Group A, going winless and finishing with the worst run rate in the tournament (South Africa by comparison had the second best run rate, behind Sri Lanka, and Zimbabwe was 9th overall, with those nine teams all possessing positive run rates.)
How have my predictions fared? On 19 February I wrote: “my Group A Quarterfinalist predictions have Australia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand advancing while in Group B the Proteas, India, England, and Bangladesh will go forward.”
Advancing from Group A: Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand.
Advancing from Group B: South Africa, India, England, West Indies.
So I got seven of the eight quarterfinalists, missing on West Indies largely because I believed that Bangladesh would have home momentum going forward.
