Preview

It is tempting to look at these matches - two Twenty20 internationals between Sri Lanka and New Zealand, being played in the USA - as precisely the reason why tournaments like IPL prosper

South Africa had the better of a scrappy outing in the first Twenty20 yesterday, but there is still some way for them to go before they are back to their best.

The World Twenty20 has been and gone, and while the tournament itself was an undoubted success, for the two teams who line up in Antigua on Wednesday, it was another anticlimactic affair

Ian Bell's fourth Clydesdale Bank 40 half-century of the season maintained Warwickshire's 100% record with a convincing six-wicket victory over Kent at Edgbaston

Cricinfo previews the final of the World Twenty20 between England and Australia at Barbados

Much about the way these two teams have arrived at this juncture suggests that we could have a repeat of last year's tense semi-final between South Africa and Pakistan. In reality nothing stands further from the truth

Cricinfo previews the Semi-Final match between England and Sri Lanka in St Lucia

Australia are unbeaten but not totally assured of a place in the semi-finals; West Indies could win and still miss out if Sri Lanka beat India

Pace-weary teams battle to stay in competition. Both India and Sri Lanka have been mauled in their Super Eights encounters and playing each other to stay in the hunt for the final four

Cricinfo previews the Super Eights match between England and New Zealand in St Lucia

Cricinfo previews the Super Eights match between Pakistan and South Africa in St Lucia

Both sides got mauled in their first Super Eights match, one of them is likely to be out by the time they are through with each other

Australia and Sri Lanka enter their second Super Eight encounter with bright hopes after they were successful in the opening fixtures

Cricinfo previews the Super Eights game between England and South Africa

Both New Zealand and Pakistan were out-played in their opening Super Eight games and the loser of this match will almost certainly be heading for the exit

Cricinfo previews the Super Eights game between Sri Lanka and West Indies

If you trust the bookmakers Australia and India are the two favourites to win the tournament

The pool stage is over, the minnows have all been swallowed and only the big fish remain swimming on to Barbados for the Super Eights. Now, the real test begins for New Zealand and South Africa

If Twenty20 cricket is routinely unpredictable, played by England and Pakistan it's an absolute lottery.

Defeats against India have put Afghanistan and South Africa in sudden-death mode going into their floodlit clash in Barbados on Wednesday