The finalists of the 2015 Cricket World Cup- Australia and New Zealand are set to square off against one another in Match 26 of the ongoing 2023 World Cup. The Trans-Tasman rivals contest will be staged at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamshala on Saturday at 10:30 am IST.
Australia seems to have peaked at the right time. They kicked off their World Cup campaign with consecutive defeats. The Kangaroos were defeated by India in their curtain raiser of the competition in Chennai, followed by a thrashing at the hands of South Africa.
Currently, Australia has six points from five matches and is stationed at the fourth position in the points table. Their pacers have performed in patches but Adam Zampa’s wicket-taking ability in the middle overs has overshadowed the performance from the pace battery.
The top order has fired David Warner in hot form. ‘The Bull’ blazed his second ton of the tourney against the Netherlands. Other batters such as Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Josh Inglis, and Glenn Maxwell have stepped up with the bat every now and then.
On the other hand, New Zealand have been a dominating side in the competition until they battled against the hosts. The Kiwis were at the top of the table with eight points from four matches but the loss against India propelled the Men in Blue to seal the top berth.
The Gary Stead-coached side has seen an all-round performance from each of their departments. Most of their batters have fired and the best part is that different players stood up in various matches.
Regular skipper, Kane Williamson was back for the game against Bangladesh and scored a half-century but was retired hurt after a shy from the inner fielder hit his thumb. Tim Southee is yet another experienced campaigner yet to show up in the playing XI for the Black Caps.
What have they done so far?
Australia were in the World Cup on the back of a horrendous ODI campaign against South Africa and India. These are the very same nations that have defeated the Aussies in the coveted mega-event.
The Kangaroos were on the top against India in Chennai when the scorecard in the second innings saw 2-3. But a Virat Kohli and KL Rahul masterclass denied them their first victory.
The Pat Cummins-led unit enforced their first triumph against Sri Lanka in their third game of the marquee event. It was followed by a couple of wins that came against Pakistan and the Netherlands. Tons from Warner and Marsh helped Australia to post 367 runs against Pakistan in a batting paradise of M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Eventually, Pakistan failed to surpass the finishing line in due time. Australia’s latest win against the Netherlands was more of a one-sided affair where they piled up 399 runs and the Dutch were folded for a total of 90 runs.
On the flip side, New Zealand kicked off the quadrennial event with an act of revenge over the defending champions, England. A target of 283 runs was overhauled with ease on the back of Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra’s centuries. The Kiwis marched on with triumphs against the Netherlands, Bangladesh and Afghanistan before they were drubbed back to the ground by the hosts.
The Kiwis were going steady after the fall of two wickets as Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell steadied the ship and accelerated it to 178-2. However, some disciplined Indian bowling reduced them to 273 in the end. The Black Caps bowlers failed to put the Indian batters under pressure as Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill gave a good start to lay the path for a modest chase.
Head to Head Record
Australia and New Zealand have squared off against one another on 141 occasions in the ODI format. The five-time World Champions have been victorious 95 times while the Kiwis have won just 39 games. Seven of the total matches ended without a definite result.
Key Players
David Warner has racked up back-to-back centuries in WC 2023
David Warner (Australia): ‘The Reverend’ is a big match player and that was witnessed during their T20 World Cup triumph in 2021. Once again, Warner has set the stage with his scintillating batting. Having racked 332 runs from five innings, the southpaw has been in surreal form at the moment.
Warner has a runs per innings rate of 133.5 from his last couple of games. As a top-order batter, his batting strike rate is on the verge of touching the 110 mark. Thereby, numbers are enough to justify Warner’s fifth ICC ODI ranking.
Mitchell Santner (New Zealand): The World Cup has seen stupendous batting displays so far. But in a battery’s arena, there are few bowlers who have stood out. And one of those examples to cite has to be Mitchell Santner.
The wily left-arm orthodox spinner has bagged twelve wickets from five innings so far. His bowling economy reads 4.26. He snapped a fifer against the Dutch and did not concede a single boundary against England after bowling out his full quota.
Predicted XIs
Australia: David Warner, Mitch Marsh, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Pat Cummins ©, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
New Zealand: Will Young, Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham © (wk), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson
Prediction
While Australia has momentum with them, New Zealand would look to bounce back after the loss against India. The Kiwis are a slightly balanced unit and may have the edge against their rivals.