Australia eye semis after Pakistan slump, Windies sweat on Gayle

Pakistan were left needing a remarkable performance by their bowlers to beat Australia after collapsing to 213 in their World Cup quarter-final, while West Indies were sweating on the fitness of Chris Gayle ahead of their showdown with New Zealand.
Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, won the toss and batted first on a good Adelaide Oval pitch.
But the 1992 champions lost wickets steadily, with recalled fast bowler Josh Hazlewood leading Australia's attack with four for 35.
"I'm very happy with that -- the boys played well throughout the 50 overs," said Hazlewood, selected in place of Pat Cummins
"The wicket's pretty good, it swung around early on. We've got depth in our squad so whenever you get a chance, you've got to impress."
Hazlewood's display left Australia on course to play India in a semi-final in Sydney on March 26 after the defending champions thrashed Bangladesh by 109 runs at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday.
Pakistan's mediocre batting effort meant this match threatened to be a final one-day international before retirement for both the 40-year-old Misbah and fellow veteran Shahid Afridi.
Haris Sohail, who top-scored with 41, and Misbah (34) put on 73 for the third wicket while Afridi made a typically quickfire 23, off 15 balls, before he holed out going for another big hit.
Apart from a nailbiting one-wicket loss to fellow co-hosts New Zealand and a wash-out with Bangladesh, four-times champions Australia have made serene progress in their quest to win a first World Cup title on home soil.
Pakistan, by contrast, suffered thumping defeats by defending champions India and the West Indies in their first two pool matches.
However, Pakistan's achievement in winning four successive pool matches -- including a victory over a South Africa side who on Wednesday stormed into the semi-finals with a nine-wicket rout of Sri Lanka -- suggested they could be a match for anyone on their day.
- Fraser tribute -
The Australia team wore black armbands in memory of former Australia prime minister Malcolm Fraser, who died aged 84 earlier on Friday, while the Australian flag at the Adelaide Oval flew at half-mast.
New Zealand and the West Indies, who meet in Wellington on Saturday, know the winners of their quarter-final will play South Africa in Auckland on March 24.
But Grant Elliott, New Zealand's South Africa-born all-rounder, said the Black Caps were focused on the task at hand.
"We'll concentrate on this game and if we do get to the semi-final, then we'll have a look at their team."
New Zealand, who won all six of their pool matches, will be firm favourites to triumph this weekend against a West Indies side who lost three of their group games.
West Indies' chances of causing an upset won't be helped if star batsman Gayle -- who earlier in this tournament scored a World Cup record 215 against Zimbabwe -- is ruled out through injury.
The big-hitting left-handed opener trained for the first time this week on Friday, two days after receiving an injection in his lower back.
West Indies captain Jason Holder said Gayle would face a late fitness test.
"He's had an injection and a scan. The scan didn't show anything major, so we'll just see how he pulls up and make a decision tomorrow morning," the skipper explained.
However, Holder stressed the West Indies -- winners of the first two World Cups back in 1975 and 1979 -- could still succeed even without the 35-year-old Jamaican, pointing to the composed 55 made by Johnson Charles when he stepped in for last weekend's win over the UAE that saw the side into the last eight on net run-rate.
"Johnson came in the last game and got a half-century and looked the part. So we've got people to fill his boots but obviously having Chris there is a plus for us."
Source: AFP