After 6 weeks of non-stop action in the ICC World Cup 2015, we are at the end point – the final, with two of the best teams in the tournament squaring off against each other. It is a pity for Indian fans that India does not feature in Melbourne tomorrow, but New Zealand serves as a wonderful substitute.
The Kiwis are such a nice team that no one can find anything negative to say about them – unlike the Aussies. The Kiwis play cricket hard and compete right until the end, but you will never catch a New Zealand player sledging the opposition. New Zealand play cricket just the way it should be played – like a gentleman’s game.
There will be no neutrals in tomorrow’s match as we expect cricket fans all over the world, except Australians, of course, to cheer for New Zealand. One also gets the feeling that the Australians have already written off the Kiwis, with former cricketer Matthew Hayden, who is known for his big mouth, saying that New Zealand have no chance in the MCG at Melbourne because they are not used to playing grounds that big at home.
New Zealand know they are up against it. New Zealand’s inspiration skipper, Brendon McCullum has already sounded the bugle. McCullum, channeling his inner Winston Churchill, said in response to the question about New Zealand being the underdogs in tomorrow’s clash, “There is no challenge which is insurmountable. With a lot of hard work, lot of heart, a lot of belief, we’ve made sure that everyone’s heading in the same direction.
“I know tomorrow we’ll still remain authentic to how we play.We’ll play an aggressive brand of cricket with bat and ball in the field. We’ll play with the humility which we’ve played with throughout this campaign as well. And hopefully the big fella upstairs shines on us when the pressure situations come into play.”
Australia captain Michael Clarke knows very well that his team are the favorites, but he vowed not to get carried away by the hype surrounding his team. Clarke said, “New Zealand have been the form team of the competition. New Zealand have beaten us once in this tournament. But I’m confident if we play our best, we can beat them tomorrow.”
Both teams are expected to retain the same squad of players who performed so well for them in their respective semi-final matches. We expect the clashes between Trent Boult and David Warner, Brendon McCullum and Mitchell Starc, Corey Anderson and Mitchell Johnson and finally that between Glenn Maxwell and Daniel Vettori to decide which way this match goes. If we are asked to predict the result, we can only say quite honestly that New Zealand has 5% chances of winning. That’s it!
The Teams:
Australia: 1 Aaron Finch, 2 David Warner, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Shane Watson, 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 James Faulkner, 9 Mitchell Johnson, 10 Mitchell Starc, 11 Josh Hazlewood
New Zealand: 1 Brendon McCullum (capt), 2 Martin Guptill, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Grant Elliott, 6 Corey Anderson, 7 Luke Ronchi (wk), 8 Daniel Vettori, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Matt Henry
Match conditions:
MCG has always favored batsmen, and we expect pretty much the same in tomorrow’s match. The side that bats first and scores 300 plus will have all the advantages, especially in the final of cricket’s most important competition. If Australia do that, New Zealand might well kiss goodbye to their World Cup dreams. No rain is expected in tomorrow’s clash, which is wonderful news.
Watch New Zealand take on Australia in the BIG final of the ICC World Cup 2015 tomorrow at 8:50 AM live on Star Sports!
