After two thrilling semi-finals we have our finalists for Sunday! New Zealand make their ICC T20 World Cup final debut and Australia make their appearance for only the second time. Neither side has lifted the trophy before and new champions will be crowned before the end of the weekend!
New Zealand
The Black Caps took on England in Abu Dhabi in their semi-final clash on Wednesday and after an action-packed run chase they won by five wickets. After winning the toss and sending the English in to bat, New Zealand did a good job of restricting them to seven runs per over in the first five overs of the powerplay. With the pressure building Adam Milne was able to pick up the first wicket of Jonny Bairstow in the sixth over. A couple of overs later spinner Ish Sodhi dismissed danger man Jos Buttler and at the halfway mark the Black Caps had their opponents at 67/2. A third wicket partnership between Dawid Malan and Moeen Ali would prove to be a tough one to crack for New Zealand, but Tim Southee did eventually get the breakthrough in the 16th over. The Black Caps failed to pick up regular wickets and couldn’t keep the run rate as low as what they did in the first half of the innings and England would go on to end the innings on a very respectable 166/4.
The Black Caps’ run chase got off to a nightmare of a start when Martin Guptill was dismissed after just four deliveries. Kane Williamson was next to go in the third over and all of a sudden New Zealand were in big trouble at 13/2. However, Devon Conway and Daryl Mitchell were able to take control and keep New Zealand in the game with a third wicket partnership of 81. Mitchell would go on to carry his bat through the innings and post an innings best total of 72, while Jimmy Neesham’s cameo of 27 runs at number six would give his side enough to meet the target.
Prior to Wednesday’s semi-final New Zealand finished runner-up in Group 2 where they only lost their opening encounter against group winners Pakistan. Opening Batsmen Martin Guptill and Daryl Mitchell have been the top runscorers for their side with 180 runs and 197 runs respectively, while Trent Boult has been the best with the ball with his 11 wickets in the tournament.
Australia
Australia booked their spot in the final after handing Pakistan their first defeat of the tournament on Thursday in Dubai. Just like New Zealand the Aussies opted to bowl first after winning the toss and would go on to chase down a big total to win the match by five wickets. It wasn’t easy going for Australia after sending Pakistan to the crease. Wickets were very slow to fall, but Finch’s bowlers did a great job of keeping the run rate respectable in the first 10 overs of the match. Adam Zampa would go on to pick up the first wicket at the end of the ninth over leaving Pakistan at 71/1 at the halfway mark. Another huge third wicket partnership of 72 made sure the advantage stayed with Pakistan throughout the innings and the remaining three wickets by Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc had little effect in slowing down an impressive batting performance that saw Pakistan posting a score of 176/4.
Australia’s innings got off to a shocking start with Aaron Finch getting trapped leg before on the third delivery. David Warner and Mitch Marsh did a great job of keeping the scoreboard ticking during the powerplay before the latter was dismissed in the 7th over leaving his side on 52/2. Steve Smith didn’t last long and he was out caught just two overs later and things didn’t get any better for Australia after David Warner was dismissed in the 11th over for 49 runs. Wickets were dropping thick and fast for the Aussies but they still kept themselves in the match by keeping up with the required run rate of around nine per over. After Glen Maxwell departed Australia were 96/5 and things really didn’t look good. Pakistan were firmly in control, but Marcus Stoinis and Matthew Wade decided it was time to play the innings of their lives. With 81 runs required off 46 balls the pair didn’t waste any time at getting the job done. Matthew Wade would end the match in style with 3 consecutive sixes in the 18th over and finish with a superb 41 runs off just 17 balls.
In the group stage Australia finished runner-up in Group 1 where they only lost one match against group winners England. David Warner has been the top batsman for his side with 236 runs in the tournament, while Adam Zampa still leads the bowling with 12 wickets.
Prediction
New Zealand are always underestimated in cricket World Cups and they often manage to pull off an upset. However, I am going to stick with the Australians for this match and after their impressive run chase against Pakistan they certainly are the better team for me. Despite losing so many wickets along the way they were able to remain on par with the required run rate and a sixth wicket partnership of 81 speaks volumes about the depth in their batting line up. There wasn’t much for the bowlers in the Dubai track on Thursday and I feel that it’s going to be the same story on Saturday. This final is going to be all about the batting and for me the Australians have the superior batting line-up. Australia are favourites going into this match and their price is a tad too short for my liking at around 1.50 for the win. I will rather have another crack at David Warner to be the top batsman since he has been the top batsman in Australia’s last two matches and I think the conditions will also suit his batting. I believe the seamers will have better success on this track just like they did on Thursday and for that reason I will have a stab at Josh Hazlewood to be the top bowler for Australia. He was disappointing in the semi-final, but he has been impressive with eight wickets in the tournament and I expect one more big performance from him before it’s all over. Lastly, I also like Daryl Mitchell to be the top batsman for New Zealand as I am expecting big scores from the openers on both sides on this pitch.
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