New Zealand vs Australia Final Predictions, Odds, Picks

• This will be New Zealand’s first-ever appearance in a T20 World Cup final, while Australia played in the final of the 2010 edition, where they lost against England.
• The top three holds the key to New Zealand’s success. Daryl Mitchell, Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson have scored 508 runs in total, while the others combined have scored 308 runs.
• Australia have done a decent job with the new ball. Keeping the semi-final match aside, Aaron Finch’s team has picked up 11 wickets in the first six overs of the five Super 12 matches.

New Zealand vs Australia Odds

Australia have the upper hand in terms of head-to-head records against New Zealand in T20I cricket. They have won nine matches against Blackcaps, while New Zealand have beaten the Aussies five times. There is nothing much to separate the teams in terms of recent results, as both Australia and New Zealand have won two of the last four meetings. Given their superior overall record, Australia are likely to win this match.

Australia To Win(-164)

Predicted XI

New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Kane Williamson (c), Tim Seifert (wk), Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult

Australia: David Warner, Aaron Finch (c), Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steven Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade (wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood

Trans-Tasman Final to Produce a First-Time Champion

The narrations were built around it, the results hinted at it and the pundits predicted it – coming into the semi-finals of T20 World Cup 2021, almost everyone expected the final to be played between England and Pakistan – the two best teams of Super 12, and toppers of their respective groups. However, Australia and New Zealand have knocked the favorites out to make the final a Trans-Tasman affair.

The Aussies always tend to deliver in a major ICC event, but their roster this time around was not as intimidating as some of the other teams. However, they played as a unit and won four of their five Super 12 matches to qualify for the semis, losing only against England. In the semi-final, the Kangaroos got the better of high-flying Pakistan, thanks to an incredible knock from Matthew Wade and an equally impressive supporting hand from Marcus Stoinis.

As for New Zealand, they too won four matches in the Super 12 stage, and in the semi-final, Kane Williamson’s men defeated the reigning 50-over world champions, England. Daryl Mitchell and Jimmy Neesham turned out to be their saviours. Both Australia and New Zealand will be fighting for what could be their first-ever T20 World Cup trophy.

Team News

There are multiple ways of getting injured, but the way Devon Conway chose to rule himself out of the final should be up there in the compilation of most bizarre injuries. The Kiwi wicketkeeper-batter played a crucial knock of 46 runs in the first semi-final, but just when his team needed him to take the inning forward, Conway was stumped off Liam Livingstone’s bowling. In frustration, the 30-year-old punched his bat with such brute force that he ended up breaking the fifth metacarpal of his right hand. In his place, Tim Seifert is certain to slot in.

Australia do not have any injury concerns, and they are expected to field the same playing XI that defeated Pakistan in the second semi-final. Josh Hazlewood had a rough day in the last game, but in the Super 12 stage, he was his team’s most economical pacer in the powerplay overs. Australia have an alternate option ready in Kane Richardson, but there is simply no chance of carrying out unnecessary experiments in the final.

Key Players

David Warner: David Warner has reinvigorated himself in this competition. He is Australia’s leading run-scorer by a country mile, having scored 236 runs in six matches, 106 runs more than anyone else from his team. The 35-year-old set up a solid foundation for Matthew Wade and Marcus Stoinis by scoring 49 runs in the semi-final, while in the match before that against West Indies, he remained unbeaten on 89 runs.

Trent Boult: Their middle-order might have come good against Pakistan, but Australia are a top-heavy team on paper, and early wickets can work wonders for New Zealand. The onus of keeping Australia under pressure right from the beginning will be on New Zealand’s leading wicket-taker, Trent Boult. The left-arm pacer has picked up 11 wickets in total, and though he went wicketless in the semi-final against England, Boult picked up 10 wickets in the four matches before that.

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