War Of Nerves Between Braves

The Big Final: You can expect another dramatic finish at the ‘Ring of Fire’

Muhammed Rumman Khan | NT

Here we are, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and children of all ages! After 44 matches, we are down to Australia and New Zealand for the grand finale clash. Did you expect them to play in the finals? Yes? No? Maybe no. None of the cricket experts picked these two teams as “favourites” but in cricket, expect the unusual, always--they took down most fancied foes in the semifinals.

Both the sides were placed second in their groups, which means they have lost only one of the five league games. One of these two nations is about to break their duck in this tournament, lifting the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup for the very first time. The drama will unfold in Dubai. The city is all set and ready.
Australia, who have won a record five World Cup titles in 50-over cricket, have surprisingly not got their hands on the T20 showpiece. Kiwis, on the other hand, have always been consistent in ICC events but now seem to have the selfbelief of going all way under Kane Williamson’s astute leadership. It will be their first T20 World Cup final and if they do end up winning it, it will be a remarkable achievement for a country of five million which keeps churning out world-class players.

Australians are known to be bad losers and that is why they are infamous for sledging. They have a culture of fighting tooth and nail till the end. The toss is expected to be absolutely crucial here, with the winning captain expected to bowl first as was the case in the two semi-finals.

For NZ, Devon Conway who punched his bat in frustration after getting dismissed in the semifinal has ended up breaking his right hand. It’s a huge blow to Kiwis as thier topclass batter will not be available and need to adjust their line-up as appropriate. Apparently, Tim Seifert is set to replace him.
Australia however, contain quality with the willow right down to the bowlers, as Number 6 and Number 7 batters Stoinis and Wade proved in the semi-finals.

For both the teams, unsung heroes came to the fore, as Daryl Mitchell for NZ and Wade for Aus -- which make cricket unpredictable and glorious, isn’t it?

Stoinis and Wade partnership in semis turn Aus into a more ‘fearless’ side. David Warner proved his mettle in the later part of the tourney. T20 cricket is increasingly data-driven but Australia seem to tread a different path, guided by attitude and camaraderie as much as statistical analysis. A new daring Aussies will face a bowlingheavy side constructed specifically to stamp out this kind of behaviour. For all the Kiwis’ qualities, the one thing they should really fear is fear itself.

With no injuries to report, captain Aaron Finch is expected to name the same starting XI for this final. Comparing both teams by phases of the game, Australia’s batting has had the edge in terms of runs per over, but so has NZ’s bowling. Kiwis’ overall economy rate in the competition has been 6.75 per over, the best of all the 16 teams to have participated.

Trent Boult and Tim Southee are one of the tournament’s most successful pace bowling duos. Adam Milne has also done a decent job as the third pacer and leg-spinner Ish Sodhi has been impressive in the middle overs.

For Aus, leg-spinner Adam Zampa has been in outstanding form throughout the series, and he will be skipper Aaron Finch’s main weapon in the final. Pat Cummins bowled well in the last game while Starc and Hazlewood both conceded a lot of runs against Pakistan. Aussie pacers must be more disciplined in order to overcome NZ, as the Kiwis are particularly good against fast bowlers. NZ team follows a well-planned strategy. If they execute their tactic well in the championship match the Blackcaps have a good chance of winning the title. For Aus in terms of batting, more is expected from Glenn Maxwell and Steve Smith who are yet to make a big impact in the tournament. Leaving too many runs for batters who come lower down the order, may not work all the time.

It is worth noting that Aus has beaten NZ already at this tournament, albeit during the warm-up matches.

The final is between two unfancied teams. And what’s more exciting is that these two teams have a ‘never-say-die attitude’. Are you excited to see the war of nerves? One is calm under pressure and the other one is fearless. Neither has won the T20 World Cup. So we will have a new winner on Sunday. That’s good for the game, isn’t it? A win for the underdogs is a win to cherish. Considering how both these two teams won their respective semifinals against fancied opponents, one can expect another dramatic finish at the “Ring of Fire&rdquo