(Sports)Roundup: Cricket World Cup quarter-finals: a match-by-match preview

The International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup quarter finals get underway in Australia and New Zealand from Wednesday.

Australia remains the tournament favorite, ahead of India, New Zealand and South Africa, but in these 50-over one-day matches, anything is possible. Xinhua preview the four matches:

SRI LANKA v SOUTH AFRICA, Sydney Cricket Ground, March 18.

Sri Lanka come into Wednesday's quarterfinal with magnificent batting form, scoring more than 300 in four of their six matches.

Meanwhile South Africa, the Cup's great underachievers, have produced a mixed bag, scoring 400 on two occasions, but on other occasions struggling to pass 200, losing matches to India and Pakistan scoring just 177 and 202 respectively.

Sri Lankan batsman Kumar Sangakkara's form has been irresistible throughout the tournament, the stalwart has smashed a century in his last four matches to lead the tournament in runs with 496 from six matches, while South African captain AB de Villiers isn't far behind with 417 runs to his name.

South African spinner Imran Tahir should enjoy the traditionally-favorable spinner's conditions at the SCG, where he collected 5/48 in his last outing, but there are still doubts over whether Sri Lanka's top-line tweaker Rangana Herath will be able to recover form a finger injury in time for the match.

The result could come down to whether South Africa's bowling attack can break through the sturdy Sri Lankan top order, with Lahiru Thirimanne, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and captain Angelo Mathews all in top form.

Player to watch: Kumar Sangakkara has scored a century in his last four matches, can he make it five in a row?

Can Sri Lanka cause an upset? Given South Africa's notorious frailty at the pointy end of this tournament, anything is possible. But they need to set up their innings early, and hit hard late if they're to win.

Watch out for: South African fast bowler Dale Steyn, who has had a quiet group stage, grabbing only one wicket in four of the six group matches.

BANGLADESH v INDIA, Melbourne Cricket Ground, March 19

It's fitting that this rivalry is to be played in front of such a big stadium. Bangladesh surprised many when it clinched a quarter-final berth with a win over England last week and India would be forgiven for preferring to play England instead, for their geographical rivals would love nothing more to eliminate their neighbors in a World Cup knockout match.

Even though India has won 11 of its last 12 ODIs against Bangladesh, the Tigers are starting to gel. Batsman Mohammad Mahmudullah has made centuries in his last two matches, and Bangladesh's pace attack has been deadly, with Rubel Hossain and captain Mashrafe Mortaza bowling quick and with plenty of movement in the air and off the pitch.

India's undefeated run through the group stage has largely been down to fine contributions with the bat from opener Shikhar Dhawan and captain Virat Kohli, but bowling efforts from Mohammed Shami and Ravichandran Ashwin can't be understated. Together, they have amassed 27 wickets for the tournament.

Player to watch: Rubel Hossain has been bowling very well for Bangladesh, but is only in Australia on bail, as he is currently fighting rape allegations in his home country. He'll be hoping to prolong his tournament as much as he can.

Can Bangladesh cause an upset? They'll need to take early wickets to dismiss in-form bats such as Dhawan and Kohli. Matching India's intensity in the field will also go a long way to helping them pull off an upset.

Watch out for: A sea of blue and green. You would be forgiven for thinking the match is being played at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, as tournament officials are expecting over 65,000 spectators to cram in to the MCG, a great majority of them Indian.

AUSTRALIA v PAKISTAN, Adelaide Oval, March 20

Australia may be joint hosts of the tournament, but it will be Pakistan's third time on the Adelaide Oval this World Cup, after losing to India and beating Ireland there already.

The worry for Pakistan will be whether it can weather Australia 's bowling attack, as only one Pakistani player has hit a century in the tournament so far, and that was only in the dying stages of its win over Ireland last week.

Conversely, Australia's batting goes all the way down to Number 9 and 10, with all-rounders Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Johnson, James Faulkner and Mitchell Starc all able to swing the willow.

While Pakistan's fast bowlers have found their rhythm and may trouble the Australian top order, particularly as they would feel comfortable on the Adelaide Oval wicket, Australia has fearsome quicks of its own and should have the ascendency with the ball.

Player to watch: Misbah-ul-Haq was visibly unhappy with how his team finished off its match against Ireland, and the Pakistani captain will be eager to urge his men on into a semi-final.

Can Pakistan pull off an upset: If it can have three or four good contributors with the bat, and bowl as consistently well as it has for much of this tournament, the hard-to-predict Pakistanis might be able to knock the hosts out of the World Cup.

Watch out for: Australia's Glenn Maxwell has been damaging with the ball, but also has scored 257 runs at a strike rate of almost 200. Expect fireworks.

NEW ZEALAND v WEST INDIES, Wellington Regional Stadium, March 21

New Zealand firmed as tournament favorites early in the World Cup, but facing the mercurial and unpredictable West Indies could prove to be a challenge. When the West Indians are firing, they are hard to stop, but too often in this tournament they've been let down by poor performances.

They scraped into the quarter-final only by having a superior net run rate to Ireland.

Meanwhile, New Zealand has impressed with fine performances from its bowlers, notably openers Trent Boult and Tim Southee who together have 28 wickets, and born-again spinner Daniel Vettori who has 13.

For the West Indies, Jerome Taylor has been the standout with the ball, while Marlon Samuels has done the bulk of the hitting. Don't be fooled by the stats, Chris Gayle's tournament average of 55 is inflated by his record innings of 215 against Zimbabwe. In his other five innings combined, Gayle has only managed 64 runs.

Player to watch: Chris Gayle. If the Kiwis can dismiss him cheaply, the West Indies will struggle to post a winning score.

Can the West Indies pull off an upset? Everything will need to go right for them to beat New Zealand in front of a boisterous Wellington crowd.

Watch out for: Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill to get the Kiwis off to a strong start. With the likes of Ross Taylor, Corey Anderson and Kane Williamson to come in after them, New Zealand could post a huge total. Endi