Holder put the immediate cause of West Indies' exit - Martin Guptil making 237, New Zealand racking up 393 - down to missed opportunities in the field and poor lengths from the bowlers

West Indies should have been fired up for a winner-takes-all match against one of the two hottest sides in the World Cup. New Zealand had everything to lose, and yet West Indies were flat long before Martin Guptill flattened them

Whether Chris Gayle would play New Zealand in the quarter-final on account of his problematic back was the piece of information anyone was after, but there was no clear answer

New Zealand's unfavourable record in World Cup knockouts will not impact Brendon McCullum's side being billed as overwhelming favourites to beat West Indies at the Regional Stadium on Saturday

When the pitch is flat and the opponent is well-drilled and playing their A game, this Ireland team does not yet have the depth of skill to challenge them

Plays of the Day from the India-Ireland World Cup Group B match in Hamilton

William Porterfield said that Ireland's next match, crucial to their knockout-qualification chances, just "happens to be against India"

India need one win to ensure they finish top of Group B, while victory will see Ireland through to the knockouts

Plays of the day from the Group A match between New Zealand and Australia in Auckland

This was the match the 2015 World Cup was crying out for, a competitive contest between two major sides, and the co-hosts played out a thriller in front of a packed and partisan Auckland crowd

Tim Southee, who set up New Zealand's thumping, eight-wicket win over England in Wellington with a record 7 for 33, said it was "almost the perfect performance"

The New Zealand captain ensured the Wellington crowd were entertained by swing bowling and fielding of a rare standard, and then he sated their desire for aggressive shots too

A "humble young man" and "a pleasure to be around" are not the words that must be going around in the England players' heads, considering Trent Boult's recent form and craftsmanship with the new ball

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum was genial when asked about the struggles of one of his "better mates," England counterpart Eoin Morgan, who has scored two runs in his last five innings leading up to Friday's clash in Wellington

Sri Lanka are playing a double-header in Dunedin and need victory in both games to have a chance of winning the series against New Zealand

Australia had a near-perfect day in their endeavor to be in a position to push hard for victory on Saturday in Adelaide

Pakistan took a little more than an hour on the fifth morning to claim the last two New Zealand wickets to win the Abu Dhabi Test by 248 runs

Misbah-ul-Haq was poised to overtake Imran Khan and Javed Miandad as Pakistan's most successful Test captain, after his team played the perfect game to finish the fourth day on the verge of victory

For two days New Zealand's bowlers had struggled to create chances as Pakistan amassed their match-defining total, but as soon as they batted, the balance between bat and ball shifted dramatically