OPINION: Three weeks into the 2019 edition of the Cricket World Cup and the cream is very much rising to the top.
India, England and Australia have clearly been the three standout sides at the tournament, and you can more than pencil them in for semi-final spots.
And should the Blackcaps get over South Africa on Thursday morning, they would require just one win from their final four games to join the trio of terror.
While England's loss to Pakistan put the brakes on pundits anointing them champions after one solid performance against South Africa, they have shown off their true credentials in dominant displays against Bangladesh, West Indies and minnows Afghanistan.
- Morgan blasts England home over Afghanistan
- Blackcaps wary of wounded Proteas
- Bangladesh in semi hunt after bossing Windies
They have tremendous belief in their batting power, although the potential loss of Jason Roy for the remainder of the campaign is concerning.
But their bowling has been excellent, since the selectors decided to pick Mark Wood and Jofra Archer in the same side. They are both fearsome quicks, and backed up by Chris Woakes, Ben Stokes, Liam Plunkett and Adil Rashid, England have the most balanced attack at the tournament.
Australia have shaken off a few wobbles to produce a couple of clinical performances, although their death-batting must be a concern.
Against both Pakistan and Sri Lanka, 400 was arguably on the cards with 15 overs to go, but the middle and lower order has been poor in finishing the job.
Their biggest issue is balance. They don't seem to know exactly where Glen Maxwell and Usman Khawaja should be batting, and their attack is vulnerable on a batting paradise, without a spin bowler of genuine class.
Adam Zampa appears to be out of favour, after being pummeled by India, while Nathan Lyon hasn't had a look in.
No doubt, their key players are firing though. Warner, Finch, Smith, Starc and Cummins have all shown their class in the first half of the round robin, but they are very beatable if you bat well, as India showed.
Speaking of India, they look flawless, borderline scary.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been magnificent, but they have been well supported by Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya with the bat, while Jusprit Bumrah and his bowling comrades have barely raised a sweat in the first four games.
They will take some beating.
And what can we say about the Blackcaps? Not much, because they haven’t played in 10 days, but we should get a better understanding of how they are tracking when they play South Africa on Wednesday night.
While the Proteas have been poor, they have a bucketload of talent and if they fire, New Zealand will need to be at their best.
But a semi-final spot will be all-but guaranteed for the Blackcaps, if they can beat South Africa and then the West Indies on the weekend.
As for the rest? The Windies need to win their last four games and even that might not be enough. The loss to Bangladesh has all-but sealed their fate, after such a promising start to the tournament, although they could pose problems for the Blackcaps on the weekend.
Speaking of Bangladesh, they are back on track, after a heavy loss at the hands of England. They possess genuine world-class players in Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal, and aside from India, they have the best support at the tournament.
They have a tough run home though, with matches against India, Australia and Pakistan to come.
Pakistan and South Africa are still in the mix, but they both need to win their final four games to have any chance - they play each other on the weekend.
Sri Lanka have four points from five games, thanks to a couple of washouts. They have yet to play India, England, South Africa and the West Indies - four games they must win.
Afghanistan have been a real disappointment, given their pre-tournament hype - they won't win a game now, unless they arrive on a dustbowl wicket along the way.
Brad Lewis is a Newshub online sports producer. Join us at 9:30pm Wednesday for live updates of the Blackcaps v South Africa Cricket World Cup clash.
