Asia quartet defy convention at world cup

Co-hosts Australia and New Zealand may be the teams to beat, but the striking feature of this World Cup is Asia's four Test nations defying conventional wisdom to make the quarter-finals.

The belief that Asian cricketers struggle on the hard, bouncy wickets Down Under was thrown out of the window as India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh moved ahead from the group stages.

Three more wins will see a team crowned the 2015 champions -- just like Pakistan did when the World Cup was last held in Australia and New Zealand in 1992 -- and another victory for Asia cannot be ruled out.

"There is no reason why an Asian side can't win this time," legandary Pakistani fast bowler Wasim Akram, who was part of the 1992 winning team, told AFP.

"They have played well and deserve to go through. In a knock-out situation, past form will really not count. Everything depends on how you play on that day."