Kiwis v Windies, quarter-final preview

How they got here

New Zealand were near flawless in the pool stage, led by quicks Trent Boult and Tim Southee, veteran spinner Daniel Vettori, and the dangerous top order of Brendon McCullum, Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson. Apart from a few nervous moments in run chases against Australia and Bangladesh, the Blacks Caps have lived up to their billing as one of the pre-tournament favourites.

The West Indies have had a mixed campaign; stunned by Ireland in their opening match, they crushed Pakistan by 150 runs in Christchurch just five days later. Chris Gayle's historic double-century spurred them on to a big win over Zimbabwe before copping the brunt of a masterful batting display from South Africa's captain AB de Villiers in Sydney. Their bowlers worked hard against India in defence of a below-par total of 182 and they then cruised to victory over the UAE to secure their place in the last eight.Image Id: ~/media/9DA7A8CBF8F644ED9482C29E043B8CDC

McCullum and Gayle have a long international history // Getty Images

Last time they met

The West Indies crushed the Black Caps by a massive 203 runs in Hamilton in January last year to square their five-match series 2-2. Kirk Edwards and Dwayne Bravo, neither of whom are in the Windies' World Cup squad, posted centuries as the tourists amassed 4-363 having been sent into bat, before the Black Caps crumbled to be all out for 160 in the 30th over.

Players to watch

Two of the most dangerous batsmen in the world go head-to-head in a battle that could well decide this match. Windies opener Chris Gayle will have to shrug off a back injury to take his place in the side, but as seen by his double-hundred against Zimbabwe earlier in the tournament, he will be the key wicket even if he is not 100 per cent fit. His counterpart, Black Caps skipper Brendon McCullum, saved his best performances in the pool matches for the big clashes against Sri Lanka, England and Australia. Bangladesh may have provided the Windies with a clue of how to stop the powerful right-hander however; the Tigers opened with spin against the Black Caps last week and removed McCullum and Kane Williamson cheaply.

Key battle

New Zealand's top three v West Indies opening bowlers: So dominant were New Zealand in the pool matches, their top three of Brendon McCullum, Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson scored the bulk of their runs while the middle and lower order of Ross Taylor, Grant Elliott and Luke Ronchi are short of time in the middle. No.6 Corey Anderson has been impressive in scoring 158 runs at just under 40 from six matches, but No.4 Taylor (109 runs at 27), No.5 Elliott (116 at 23) and No.7 Ronchi (56 at 18) have been below their best. If the Windies remove the top three cheaply, the pressure will be on the middle order to perform.Image Id: ~/media/B7628084E2C04BA9A314F511FEB163DA

New Zealand's middle order are light on runs this World Cup // Getty Images

Upset on the cards?

World Cup winning captains Steve Waugh and Meg Lanning both told cricket.com.au this week they would not be surprised if the Windies pull off an upset and beat the heavily-favoured Black Caps.

"I think New Zealand have got a danger game in the quarter-final against the West Indies, you just get a feeling they might pull something out of the ordinary with Gayle and some of those guys," Waugh told cricket.com.au at Australia's training session in Adelaide.

In her exclusive quarter-final preview, Lanning said: "I’m going to tip the West Indies, only because New Zealand are due for a loss.

"They’ve been playing so well for so long that it’s hard to keep up.

"The West Indies have a bit of x-factor about them, and Chris Gayle will come out and smash them."

Injury update

All eyes will be on Chris Gayle when he arrives at Westpac Stadium on Saturday morning, with the Windies opener hoping to overcome a back injury and take his place in the side. The left-hander trained with his teammates on Friday for the first time this week, but he only did light duties and remains in doubt for the clash. New Zealand are expected to welcome back paceman Adam Milne after he missed the clash against Bangladesh with a shoulder injury.

Key stats

2 - the number of times in this World Cup New Zealand's innings has lasted more than 40 overs. The bowling of the Black Caps has been so dominant that New Zealand's successful run chases in this tournament have lasted 24.5, 12.2, 23.1, 36.1 and 48.5 overs. They batted first just once in the pool stages, posting 6-331 from 50 overs against Sri Lanka.

187.59 - Brendon McCullum's strike rate at this World Cup. The Black Caps skipper has hit three half-centuries at the top of the order; an innings of 65 to set up a big first innings total against Sri Lanka, and scores of 77 and 50 in small run chases against England and Australia respectively. But it's the manner in which McCullum's scored his runs - he's hit 35 fours and 12 sixes - that has made him one of the most feared batsmen at this tournament.

Venue

There have been three matches played at Wellington's Westpac Stadium in this World Cup, resulting in victories to New Zealand, Sri Lanka and South Africa. The Black Caps crushed England after routing them for 123, Sri Lanka cruised past England's total of 309 with nine wickets in hand and the Proteas amassed 6-341 to beat the UAE by 146 runs. The Black Caps have won 10 of their past 12 games at the ground, making it their most successful venue anywhere for one-day internationals since 2006, and have defeated the West Indies in all three games they have played there.

Weather forecast

It is expected to be partly cloudy in Wellington on Saturday with winds of up to 35 km/h and a top temperature of 19 degrees.