They might be preparing to play the Irish on the back of five wins. The talk then might have been of a dreary end to pool play.
Group A has been far more straightforward.
New Zealand, Australia and Sri Lanka - after an early hiccup against New Zealand, then a significant scare against the spirited Afghanistan in Dunedin, they're flying - have called the shots.
And yet you arrive at the final six group games over yesterday until late tomorrow when there is speculation and expectation of who will meet who, but nothing conclusive.
For a tournament format groaning under the weight of seven weeks' play, and breaks in play, that cannot be a bad thing.
There will be one, and possibly a second, surprise quarter-finalist, although that might unfairly do them down.
Bangladesh's thrilling win over England, hopeless England, in Adelaide this week boosted them into the knockout stage, and tomorrow Ireland can confirm themselves among the cup elite against Pakistan.
What does that tell us about the state of the game? Surely it cannot be a bad thing.
There will be two arguments on it: one is that for a special period, both countries raised themselves above their usual standards.
That line follows that having, particularly, Ireland in the last eight means a soft quarter-final for one of the heavy mob. Tough. That's demeaning and patronizing.
The other is that indeed cricket is the better for the emergence of another couple of teams raising their game.
Ireland might not make it.
The West Indies, two points behind, have a superior net run rate and will beat the United Arab Emirates in Napier tomorrow.
So Ireland would need to topple Pakistan.
They did it in 2007, events which tragically preceded the death of Pakistan's coach Bob Woolmer in a Kingston hotel.
If the Irish win, it must silence the sneers.
That would give them four wins in six matches and there coul be no argument about their worth.
That would be the same number of victories as that achieved by South Africa and Sri Lanka.
Enough said.
A hunch has Pakistan to win tomorrow, which could pitch them against Australia in Adelaide next Friday, with the West Indies to face New Zealand in Wellington next weekend.
Now the crunchy part is almost upon us. The preliminaries have been entertaining, often exhilarating and occasionally simply stunning.
Has this been the best World Cup to this point? Yes.
You tend to forget the magic moments of past competitions when there's been so much to savour this time around.
Another hunch would have this being described as the finest tournament by the time it wraps up in Melbourne on March 29.
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