Venue: Mohali Date: Wednesday, 30 March (1000 BST)
Coverage: Highlights on BBC Two (see listings), Red Button & online at 2200 GMT (UK only); live Test Match Special commentary (BBC 5 live sports extra, Radio 4 LW and online); text commentary online and mobiles; live on Sky Sports
Wednesday's titanic semi-final between India and Pakistan could hinge on the contest between two great entertainers who have reinvented themselves as ruthlessly efficient performers at this World Cup.
Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi and India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh have often been derided as "Hollywood" cricketers, capable of turning on the style when conditions suit them, but just as likely to go missing when their teams need them most.
However, by curbing some of their natural instincts and performing with a new maturity, the duo have taken their games to new heights.
SHAHID AFRIDI
Shahid 'Boom Boom' Afridi earned his nickname for smashing the ball out of the ground with a ferocity and regularity the game had rarely seen.
These days the big scores are few and far between, but the Pakistan captain's capacity to make an explosive impact on games make his moniker as fitting as ever.
Now it is the show-stopping quality of Afridi's bowling that is clearing the bars.
Highlights - Pakistan power past West Indies
In seven matches at the 2011 Cricket World Cup, he has taken 21 wickets at a staggering average of 10.71.
Having only taken four or more wickets on five occasions 312 one-day internationals, he has achieved the feat four times in seven matches at the tournament.
His ability to intersperse conventional leg-spinners with googlies, top-spinners and quicker deliveries on the slow, low, wickets of the subcontinent have rendered him nigh-on unplayable and been the single biggest factor in Pakistan's run to the semi-finals.
Afridi's combination with paceman Umar Gul, who has 14 wickets, has helped the side overcome the shortcomings of an inconsistent batting line-up to beat Sri Lanka, Australia and the West Indies en route to the last four.
With his constant flow of wickets, Afridi has largely led by example, but his leadership has also caught the eye for the way he has galvanised a notoriously fractious squad and imbued them with more energy and efficiency in the field.
"Everybody is standing behind him at the World Cup," said Pakistan batsman Misbah-ul-Haq.
"I think there are always differences in opinion but we always talk to the captain about what he thinks. He's really good at that.
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