They have lived up to their reputation as one of the pre-tournament favourites, and have lost only one match so far – and that because of the kind of innings that nobody can plan for when Kieron Pollard blasted 54 off 18 balls to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Their batting has taken shape well, with Warner blasting away at the top of the order, and Hughes giving him good support. Then there is the solidity of Simon Katich in the middle order as well as the virtuosity of Moises Henriques. The bowling is led by possibly the best pace attack in the combination with Brett Lee and Stuart Clark being backed by Doug Bollinger. Lee and Clark have been outstanding right through the tournament, and have not let any opposition batsman settle against them, while being incisive and economical. Add Nathan Hauritz to the mix and the bowling attack looks complete. Crucially, New South Wales have not only experienced a lot of domestic success in Australia, but also have a number of international players who have all played on the big stage, and will thus not get overawed by the occasion of a major semi-final.