New Zealand Vs Australia, Match Preview
India and England started off as favorites this year, and Pakistan joined them in the race. India fizzled out in the group stage, while the other two fell away in the semis. The finalists now are Australia, who were nowhere near being competitors before the World Cup, and New Zealand who are perennial underdogs.
Both sides are fierce rivals, and had tough times before the World Cup. Australia and New Zealand, experienced defeats to Bangladesh, but have fought back well in the big stage.
Australia is showing why they are the best in the World. After a horrible lead up to the tournament, the old Australian spirit is on show, and it has helped Australia march into the finals after a tough year. They managed to beat Pakistan, who were the favorites, and took apart some of the best bowlers in the tournament.
Only two players from the current Australian line-up played in their last World Cup finals back in 2010. David Warner is still an opener, and is finding some form. Steve Smith, though, is in a different role. He was a leg-spinning all-rounder back then, but is now a complete batter in the middle-order.
For New Zealand, the World Cup has been a journey of second chances. They beat England in the semis to give back what they got in the 2019 World Cup Finals. Jimmy Neesham, in particular, took the opportunity to fight back. He played a game changing knock in the semis, and was silent in celebration.
They will now have to beat the side they lost to in the 2015 World Cup, to become World Champions. If New Zealand manage to complete the journey well, they will be the Test and T20 Champions, after having won the World Test Championship earlier this year.
New Zealand Vs Australia, Team News
Australia will likely be unchanged for the final. They have a balanced line-up and seem well placed with their eleven ahead of the finals.
Devon Conway is injured and out of the tournament, leaving New Zealand with a small dilemma. They have Tim Seifert, but will miss Devon Conway, who is in magnificent form.
New Zealand Vs Australia, Predicted XIs
Australia (probable) 1 David Warner, 2 Aaron Finch (capt.), 3 Mitchell Marsh, 4 Steven Smith, 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh Hazlewood
New Zealand (probable) 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Daryll Mitchell, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Tim Seifert (wk), 5 Glenn Phillips, 6 James Neesham, 7 Mitchell Santner, 8 Tim Southee, 9 Adam Milne, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Ish Sodhi
New Zealand Vs Australia, Players to Watch out for
David Warner
Across both squads, David Warner is probably the best candidate for an all-time T20 great. He has magnificent records, and the World Cup could be determined by him. If Warner shows up, the match could determine in the powerplay, but if fails, Australia could find it tough to get going. He has struggled this year, with a poor IPL, and started the World Cup slowly as well. After a slow start, David Warner is now one of the top run getters, and is in brilliant form. He is finding the boundary with ease, and playing some smart Cricket, and his performance tomorrow will be the game changer.
Tim Southee
Tim Southee struggled to break into the white ball team a few years ago, but is now one of their key bowlers. This year he is very economical, and has found a way to restructure his T20 career. His death bowling has improved, and Tim Southee is yet to go wicketless in the tournament.
New Zealand Vs Australia, Pitch Report
Dew hasn’t been much of a factor in the last few games, but the toss still remains a key part of the game. Teams batting second are winning. The pitch is a fresh one, but since it is a final there could be extra pressure which may prompt sides to bat first.
