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How fitting is it that New Zealand and Australia will play the ICC Cricket World Cup Final, a hundred years after the Anzac legend was born.
I, like many others, predicted this final and it is a testament to the two captains that they have made it this far.
Brendon McCullum and Michael Clarke have both been brave when their sides were facing adversity. They can both read the game, and make bowling changes that are not scripted.
Both will keep bowlers on when they are successful to grind their opponents into the ground, and both have encouraged brave batting – McCullum usually by example, regardless of his own demise.
McCullum won the semi-final for New Zealand, as sure as eggs. His threshing machine batting set the Kiwis up to be always near the target run rate. It didn’t matter that South Africa clawed back, as the run rate never became unreachable.
Clarke is always prepared to try something different, something his opposition would not want. Floating Glenn Maxwell is one example, setting up short legs and extra slips is another.
I was very excited about the pool match (I previewed it and reviewed it). In my review I declared it to be the preview of the final; a great match where nobody was prepared to give up proved the worthiness of these two opponents.
So how will the final pan out? We have two teams so similar it is hard to say. New Zealand will be slightly less comfortable at the MCG, and certainly will not have the crowd support they have become accustomed to.
Both sides have blasting openers in Dave Warner and McCullum. Both sides have handy sidekicks in Martin Guptill and Aaron Finch. Both sides have the ‘Test’ batsmen, with Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson up against Steve Smith and Michael Clarke.
The middle order provides hitters with Grant Elliott, Corey Anderson and Luke Ronchi versus Sane Watson, James Faulkner and Brad Haddin.
Both tails wag hard.
Both sides have the new ball bowlers – New Zealand will swing with Tim Southee and Trent Boult. Australia will swing along with Mitch Starc and the bounce of Josh Hazlewood. On paper Australia have the advantage of Mitchell Johnson versus Matt Henry, certainly on experience. Faulkner also provides great death variety and probably shades Anderson.
This leaves the two slow bowlers. Dan Vettori has been outstanding thus far, and is the man Australia must manage when batting. Glenn Maxwell is a pinch hitter with bat and ball. He will be snuck in here and there to ‘get rid’ of a few overs, but to compensate he could hit a century at the speed of light.
Given the huge number of permutations available with 100 overs of cricket, the performance of these two guys might just determine the result.
My tip, of course, is Australia. I must admit though, I really have enjoyed this Kiwi team and would feel no shame in defeat if they held the Cup.
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