44 matches and 27 days later, only two teams remain in T20 World Cup 2021. The 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup began as a 16-team tournament in Oman and will culminate with the New Zealand vs Australia final in Dubai on Sunday.
The Black Caps will be featuring in their first T20 World Cup final, while the Aussies will be appearing for the second time.
The Black Caps have been the most composed side in this World Cup and have won the hearts of millions because of their great discipline, while the Aussies got lucky over South Africa, qualifying for the Semi-Final based on net run rate and then defeating an unbeaten Pakistan. The Aussies pulled off one of their most famous T20I wins. A new champion will be crowned on Sunday.
In-depth stats
- New Zealand have conceded runs at an economy rate of 6.40 while Australia have conceded at 7.0.
- Australia’s batting dot-ball percentage is 24% between overs 17 and 20 in this tournament while the Black Caps’ is 27%.
- In the fielding department, the Aussies have saved 21 runs while the Black Caps have saved 17.
Head-to-head
Australia and New Zealand have faced off against each other 14 times in T20Is, with the Aussies winning nine matches. In their last five encounters, New Zealand have had the better of Australia, winning three matches.
Batters to look out for
For the Kiwis, Daryl Mitchell and Martin Guptill have been their leading run-scorers. Mitchell has scored 197 runs at a strike rate of 140.71, whereas Guptill has scored 180 runs at 131.38, and they are our batters to watch out for.
David Warner and Aaron Finch have forged a good opening partnership for Australia, scoring 236 and 130 runs respectively. If David Warner scores 29 runs or more, he will pass Matthew Hayden’s record for the most runs scored by an Australian in a single T20 World Cup.
Warner has scored his 236 runs and his 35 boundaries (28 fours and 7 sixes) are the joint-most by any player in the tournament, equalling Mohammad Rizwan and Jos Buttler.
Bowlers to look out for
Trent Boult and Ish Sodhi have been the stand-out bowlers for New Zealand. Boult has 11 wickets in the tournament at an economy rate of 6.54, whereeas Sodhi has picked up nine wickets at 7.33 RPO.
Along with them, Tim Southee has been influential in New Zealand’s success. He has induced a false shot percentage of 44% against batters in this tournament. Only Pakistan’s Shaheen Shah Afridi, with a false shot percentage of 46%, has caused batters more problems.
For the Aussies, Adam Zampa and Mitchell Starc have been their leading wicket-takers, with 12 and nine wickets respectively. Zampa has bowled exceedingly well, conceding at just 5.69 RPO. Starc has found his rhythm and has an economy rate of 8.17 in this tournament.
Adam Zampa is only behind Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga (16), in the leading wicket-takers list. It is also an Australian record at any T20 World Cup.
Probable Playing XI
Australia: David Warner, Aaron Finch (c), Mitch Marsh, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade (wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood.
New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Kane Williamson (c), Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Tim Seifert (wk), Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult.