Upbeat Kiwis look to take flight against fearless Aussies

Dubai: Trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand and Australia will meet in the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final on Sunday and while they are two contrasting units, it will be a battle of two highly equipped teams at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

It will be a rematch of the 2015 ODI World Cup final on Sunday and while Australia had thrashed New Zealand by seven wickets in the summit clash six-and-a-half years back, the Kiwis definitely hold the edge this time around thanks to their consistent showing in showpiece events in the last couple of years. Both teams are eyeing a maiden T20 World Cup title and will go into the summit clash on the back of thrilling wins.

“We know that we have a final on Sunday, and whoever we’re taking on should be good fun. We’ll give it everything we’ve got, but at the end of the day there’s certain things you can’t control, so we’ll see what happens,” Daryl Mitchell had said in the post-match press conference after his heroics against England in the first semi-final in Abu Dhabi.

On the other hand, Australia has nothing to lose as they walked into the tournament on the back of some not so quality performances against the likes of Bangladesh. Not many had predicted that Australia will reach the semi-finals of the event, but then, the Aussies love to rise to the challenge in big-ticket events.

The Aaron Finch-led side didn’t start too well, but has gained momentum at the right time and are now looking to give their “absolute best” against New Zealand. The thrashing at the hands of England at the start of the Super 12 encounters is a thing of the past as the Aussies put on a super show against Pakistan in the second semi-final to chase down 176 with six balls to spare. The hero undoubtedly was Matthew Wade and he has already rung the warning bells for the Kiwis.

“I feel like this (Pakistan) game was probably hard on nerves than maybe what the final will be because now we’re in it. We’ve got nothing to lose. We’re going to go out there, do our absolute best,” said Australia batter Matthew Wade.

While these are two contrasting units, both are high on confidence after inspired shows in the semi-final games and it will all boil down to who manages to hold the nerves better in the summit clash.

New Zealand squad: Kane Williamson (c), Todd Astle, Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Martin Guptill, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Adam Milne.

Australia squad: Aaron Finch (c), Pat Cummins, Ashton Agar, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Swepson.