We've run our eyes over the entire field for the 2015 Cricket World Cup to discover that these four squads will have what it takes to reach the semi-finals of the prestigious tournament. There can only be one winner though. Here's what the top four will look like at the business end ...

1. AUSTRALIA

Australia has more pop than muck-up day at a franger factory. It has major artillery, it’s at home, doesn’t need to worry about spinning conditions, and has had a great lead-up which has enabled it to hone individual skills and team-work. The Clarke issue appears to be settled by his hammie, and it might prove that he’s not indispensable to Australia’s chances, with Smith a good one-day captain, too. Australia has such an embarrassment of riches, it might even contemplate resting Johnson occasionally, as the other lefty, the much-improved Starc, is probably a better finisher. Australia even has the luxury of picking Glenn Maxwell when it needs an offie, rather than just for his batting. The batting has no safety-first option. The top six only knows one speed, but someone always gets the runs. Australia has an ideal finisher in Faulkner, and another all-rounder ready to go – Mitch Marsh. Finch and Warner form a devastating opening combination to rival any in this format.

Australia Aaron Finch. (Photo by (Getty Images)

2. SOUTH AFRICA

If Australia doesn’t win, this team should. The Proteas are balanced even in the absence of the great Kallis, and their line-up is so talented and versatile, they can practically overlay their Test and one-day teams. Steyn, Morkel and Philander are supplemented by all-rounders Rossouw and McLaren. Furthermore, they have now covered a traditional weakness, with one of the best spinners going around in any form: Imran Tahir. People think Morkel is too erratic for the format. We think he’ll have a great series. They might’ve lost to Australia in the recent one-off set, but they lost nobly, and never gave in. The players mentioned, plus Amla, Du Plessis, De Villiers, Duminy, de Kock and company will be the core of a side nobody should write off, and De Villiers’ relaxed and intelligent approach to captaincy might moderate that famed intensity that occasionally messed with their heads. They might still have the thinnest joke book in world cricket, but they have an eye on the record books.

South-Africa A.B De Villiers. (Photo by Getty Images)

3. NEW ZEALAND

The other team with a home-ground advantage. What a great fillip for the game in the Shaky Isles if the Black Caps win. Depth will always be a problem, and they might be in trouble if pacemen Boult and Southee can’t bowl together. But if it all clicks, they have batsmen who can slug with the best of them, like McCullum and Bracewell, while men like Guptill, Rutherford and Ross Taylor are capable of alarming spikes in international performance. Corey Anderson and ’keeper Luke Ronchi have risen considerably in world rankings with some exciting international displays. The Black Caps understand the benefits of great fielding, and have a nice spread of old heads, especially as Vettori (left) has been selected. Watch them; they play some important matches at home, should get through the pool matches unharmed, and then they’ll be a handful for anybody.

New-Zealand Daniel Vettori. (Photo by Getty Images).

4. SRI LANKA

The Lions, too, might surprise. They have an experienced side, and though some of them are old, those oldies happen to be Kumar Sangakkara (above), Tillakaratne Dilshan and Mahela Jayawardene. Throw in Mathews and the cunning plunderer Mendis, who seems able to make the ball do anything but outright disappear once it pitches, and they have a good core side. Then of course, there’s fast-bowling pair Nuwan Kulasekara and Lasith Malinga. It’s axiomatic now that “The Slinga” is simply the best finisher in world short-form cricket. Kulasekara is one of the better late-order pinch-hitters. The squad has a good balance of youth and experience. Nine players have returned from the 2011 World Cup, where they were finalists. Their recent form has been good, and the determined and talented Jayawardene, the only man to ton in a World Cup final and not get the win (2011), has the added motivation of setting history right.

Sri-Lanka Kumar Sangakkara. (Photo by Getty Images)