ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 is just a game away from declaring the winner of its 7th edition. The tournament which was supposed to be held during the previous year in India is now awaiting its Final to be played in Dubai.
This tournament until now had many notable events. India and West Indies went down without much fight in the big-league games while South Africa didn’t proceed for the semi’s even after winning 4 out of 5. The qualifying teams hardly gave any fight besides Sri Lanka while, Pakistan and England surely looked like the teams to beat.
All said, when it comes down to a tournament like World Cup, league games are one thing but the real deal are the knockouts. The two semi-finals were a proof of this and also were the highlight of this event until now.
New Zealand defeated England in the Semi-Final 1 while Australia defeated Pakistan in Semi-Final 2. Both NZ and Australia won against the teams that were on song in what looked like a similar script written for both the knockouts.
In a World Cup event, it doesn’t matter how you come into the tournament, but what matters is how you progress once you are in. “Winning when it matters the most” is another factor that takes you closer to winning such a big event and both New Zealand and Australia showcased the same during this World Cup.
Rightly so, it is going to be a finale between the two neighboring countries – New Zealand vs Australia to claim their first ever World T20 Title.
So far in the tournament:
Both New Zealand and Australia have had a similar journey by far in this tournament by winning 4 games each in the league stage and defeating the top positioned team in the semis.
For New Zealand, initially it felt like they were dependent on the top order but it was Jimmy Neesham’s counter-attacking knock in the semis at lower middle order that was decisive for them finding the spot in the final. Similarly for Australia, Matthew Wade played a swashbuckling innings against Pakistan when it mattered the most and booked their place as well in the final for coming Sunday.
Top performers:
David Warner has led Australia’s run in this tournament with 236 runs from 6 innings, while both the Kiwi openers – Daryl Mitchell and Martin Guptill are in prime touch.
Both the teams leg spinners have been their prime wicket-takers with Adam Zampa scalping 12 wickets and Ish Sodhi getting 9 from 6 innings each. Also, the left-handed quicks (Trent Boult & Mitch Starc) have been in great touch in the powerplay for their respective teams.
So far in ICC Tournaments Final:
Australia of 2000’s was a different era altogether. So, to keep it relevant, let us take a look at the performances of both the teams in major ICC Finals post 2010.
Australia will play their second ICC Final having already played and won in the 2015 ODI World Cup at home.
New Zealand on the other hand will be playing their third ICC Final on the trot in the span of 3 years. They reached the 2019 ODI World Cup Final and almost won it only for the boundary count in the super-over tie. More recently, they played the final of inaugural ICC Test Championship against India and won that event to put the hands on their first ever ICC Trophy.
Besides, both these teams faced each other once previously in 2015 ODI Final, as now they will be eying to win their first ever shortest format ICC Trophy.
Ground News:
As mentioned by Virat Kohli and few other captains, toss has played a vital role in this tournament. The script has been similar for most of the games that began at 6 pm in UAE, especially in Dubai. Win the toss, put the opposition into bat and chase down the target!
Although it is a Final which will have its own pressure, the captain winning the toss will have fair bit of advantage going into the game considering the dew factor.
Squad News:
Australia in all likeliness will play the same team that featured in the semis, while New Zealand will have to come with a forced change as Devon Conway is ruled out of the final owing to an injury that was caused to his right hand when he smashed the bat hard against his hand after he got out in the semi-final against England.
Match - ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, Final
Date - 14th November, Sunday
Time - 07:30 pm IST
Venue - Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai.
Stats:
- Martin Guptill’s highest score in T20I’s of 105 has come against Australia.
- Aaron Finch needs 25 runs to become the second Australian and sixth player overall to complete 10,000 T20 runs.
- David Warner and Glenn Maxwell are 4 & 7 big hits away respectively to complete 100 T20I sixes.
- Martin Guptill also needs 49 runs to go past Brendon McCullum’s tally of 637 runs and become New Zealand’s leading run-scorer in T20 World Cups.
Fun Facts:
- Marcus Stoinis (Aus) and Daryl Mitchell (NZ) both are childhood friends and have played club cricket together.
- Both Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson are yet to face a ball against Mitch Starc in T20I’s.
- In fact, none of the New Zealand players have faced the trio Starc, Cummins and Hazelwood in T20 internationals.
- Aussies never carry their prime bowlers on tours, they directly include them in World Cup.
Kane Williamson’s team would give their all to win two back-to-back ICC trophies while, Australians are known to rise up their game when it comes to ICC knockouts. A fierce battle awaits on the coming Sunday evening as the Kiwis take on the mighty Aussies.
Dream 11 team: