Bat first, make 300 and the Cricket World Cup is yours

For just the second time, two host nations of the Cricket World Cup will play off for the big prize.

It happened last time in 2011 with India beating Sri Lanka in India.

Now, New Zealand have to travel for the first time in the tournament after winning every match at home and play at the Mecca, the MCG, which would be foreign to many of their players.

It’s an intimidating place just to go and watch and broadcast sport let alone play on it, especially for the first time. However, this New Zealand side is so settled and have so much faith in each other to perform well and play their individuals roles when required.

Look at Grant Elliott. He had not set the world on fire in the group stages, but scored some handy runs in the quarter-final win over the West Indies and then came to the party with that amazing semi-final knock to overcome South Africa.

Adam Milne hasn’t starred with the ball like Tim Southee and Trent Boult, taking just five wickets, but he has given great support as the third member of this imposing pace attack.

Ross Taylor has also had a relatively lean time with the bat by his standards but made an important contribution in the semi-final and is due for a big one. He’s known to make them on the big stage, too.

Luke Ronchi would have liked more runs with the bat as well, but his keeping has been terrific. He has more experience than his teammates playing at the G with Western Australia, even if the crowds were a drop in the ocean compared to what he will experience in the final.

Australia has built steadily as the tournament has progressed and with skipper Michael Clarke announcing that he will retire from one-day internationals after the final, there may be more incentive to win the big one.

Mind you, it’s the Cricket World Cup. Any nation wants to win it whether a star player or a captain like Clarke, who is out of form and is pulling the pin after a difficult summer.

Clarke’s form and the inability of the openers, Dave Warner and Aaron Finch, to put together good partnerships are a concern for the four-time winner.

Finch has one 50 and a century and Warner had one outstanding performance against Afghanistan in Perth. Other than that, the other nine members are at the top of their game, with Mitch Starc, like Boult for New Zealand, the key man with the ball.

However, despite all the hype and wonderful buildup, the balloon may be pricked early depending on the toss.

Three-hundred has become par in this World Cup, and on the MCG that kind of score may be difficult. Whoever bats first and is able to post a score like that should win.

It’s been tough to chase scores exceeding 300. Sri Lanka did it at Wellington, but the Cake Tin is much smaller than the G and it was against England – remember how poor they were.

Elsewhere, Zimbabwe almost overhauled Ireland’s 331 in Hobart and the Sri Lankans again gave a great account of themselves against Australia in Sydney, after the Aussies had smashed 376.

There’s been talk about Brendon McCullum and his blitzkrieg batting, which has given the Kiwis numerous flying starts, and whether he could clear the ropes and the fence at the G.

All those grounds in New Zealand were small, and so he will be tested, but as we know there’s limited protection early on around the boundaries, which will help.

I am sure it won’t be the low-scoring thriller that we saw earlier in the tournament in Auckland, where the swing of Boult and Starc was too good for everyone, but early wickets are a priority. Otherwise Warner, Finch and Steve Smith early in the order, and the finishers later in James Faulkner, Brad Haddin and Mitch Johnson, could really set it up for Australia, if they bat first.

The same can be said for the Kiwis, with Elliott, Corey Anderson and Ronchi, who just wants a score of some substance, capable of doing some serious damage. It’s a big moment for New Zealand cricket as they try and claim cricket’s holy grail for the first time after bowing out in so many semi-finals.

It might even be the biggest moment in that country’s sporting life, which is saying something considering how huge rugby is and the fact the All Blacks have won that sport’s World Cup twice.

New Zealand have had some luck in this World Cup but have they used it all up? The toss of the coin could solve that puzzle.