CWC Final Preview: Australia v New Zealand

Michael Clarke and Brendon mcCullum

What: Cricket World Cup Final
Who: Australia v New Zealand
When: Sunday March 26, 2.30pm (AEDT)
Where: Sydney Cricket Ground, SCG
I Can Watch It On: Fox Sports/Channel 9


Sportsbet odds: 
Australia: $1.44
New Zealand: $2.85


Way Of The World

An amazing week of cricket culminates in Sunday's huge World Cup Final at the MCG between two old foes.

Strap yourselves in because this is going to be sensational. 

Both teams are coming off impressive semi-final victories and will be committing every ounce of their being to World Cup triumph.

The Black Caps advanced to the final following a last-over thriller against the Proteas. 

Grant Elliott was the star, hitting a six with one ball to spare to earn his team their first ever World Cup Final appearance.

Meanwhile the Aussies qualified for their seventh final with a comfortable 95-run victory over the Indians. 

They have now progressed from all seven of their Cricket World Cup Semi-Final appearances and will be looking to bag the title for an unrivalled fifth time since the tournament's inception in 1975.


Everything You Need To Know

Australian Strengths

Steven Smith 
Smith is one of two players to have an average above 50 and a strike rate above 90 batting in Australia, (10+ innings). AB de Villiers is the other. 

Smith's last 12 ODI innings in Australia have produced 812 runs at an average of 81.2 and a strike rate of 96.4. 

Glenn Maxwell  
Of all the players to face at least 50 balls in the tournament, only David Miller (30.9%) has a lower dot ball percentage than Maxwell (31.5%). 

Michael Clarke  
Clarke has scored 18 runs against left-arm seamers in the tournament and been dismissed twice. 

James Faulkner 
Faulkner averages 113.5 batting second in ODIs, the highest average of anyone batting at least 10 times. 

Brad Haddin  
Haddin has an average of 1.93 dismissals per innings in World Cup matches, the second-highest figure amongst wicket-keepers with at least 10 dismissals (Ridley Jacobs: two per innings). 

Mitchell Johnson  
Batsmen have left alone 11.6 percent of Mitchell Johnson’s balls in the tournament, the seventh highest proportion out of any bowler at the World Cup (50+ balls bowled). 

Australia Vulnerabilities  

Aaron Finch  
Finch has been the subject of 12 LBW appeals in the tournament, seven more than anyone else; only one of these has been successful. 

David Warner  
Warner’s ODI average of 18.4 at Melbourne is his second lowest at any venue he has batted at more than once – he averages 14.3 at Hobart. 

Shane Watson  
Watson has scored 69.4 percent of his tournament runs on the leg side, the highest proportion of any top order Australian batsman. 

Mitchell Starc  
17 of Starc’s 20 wickets in the tournament have been right-handers; 10 have been tail-enders (numbers 8 – 11). 

Josh Hazlewood  
Hazlewood has had four catches dropped off his bowling in the tournament, two more than any other Australian bowler. 

NZ Strengths  

Brendon McCullum 
85 percent of Brendon McCullum’s runs in the tournament have come in boundaries, the highest proportion of anyone facing at least 50 balls. 

McCullum has scored 308 of his 329 tournament runs in the mandatory power play, hitting 59 boundaries in the 150 balls he has faced. 

Martin Guptill  
Guptill has hit the most fours in the tournament: 58. 

Corey Anderson  
Anderson has taken seven number 5 - 7 batsmen wickets in the tournament, more than anyone else 

Grant Elliott  
Elliott has reached 20 in 11 of his last 13 ODI innings. 

Daniel Vettori  
Vettori has conceded 19 boundaries in the tournament, from 425 deliveries. This percentage of 4.5 percent is the second lowest of anyone bowling 50+ balls, behind Sikander Raza. 

Trent Boult 
Top wicket-taker Boult has also taken the most wickets LBW in the tournament (five). 

15 of Trent Boult’s 21 wickets in the tournament have been batsmen batting at numbers 1 – 4; this percentage of 71.4 percent is the highest of anyone taking at least 10 wickets. 

New Zealand Vulnerabilities 

Kane Williamson 
22 of Williamson’s last 27 ODI innings have been in New Zealand. 

Ross Taylor 
Taylor has scored 181 runs in eight innings in the tournament, after hitting 333 runs in his other eight ODI innings of 2015. 

He has been dismissed three times by off-spinners in the tournament, more than any other player. He has also fallen once to leg-spin. 

Luke Ronchi 
Ronchi has been dismissed for four consecutive single figure scores for the first time in his ODI career. 

Tim Southee 
Southee has not taken a wicket in three of his last four ODIs; he took at least two in his eight preceding innings. 

Matt Henry 
All nine of Henry’s nine previous ODIs have been played in New Zealand (five) or UAE (four). 


Head-To-Head Facts 

Shane Watson has scored 86 runs off the 85 balls Tim Southee has bowled to him in ODIs, without being dismissed. 

Australia have lost the toss in six of their last seven completed ODIs against New Zealand on home soil, but have won five of these seven meetings. 


Reason To Watch

Two big-hitting openers.

Neither Brendon McCullum nor Dave Warner will hold back to open the innings of their respective teams.  

McCullum has been in the better form so far this tournament but both these players have huge potential to set this game on fire. 

If they don't, at least they won't be hanging around for very long. 

It's hit out or get out with these two exciting batsmen.


Say What

Squads

Australian Squad: MICHAEL CLARKE (C), GEORGE BAILEY, PAT CUMMINS, XAVIER DOHERTY, JAMES FAULKNER, AARON FINCH, BRAD HADDIN (W), JOSH HAZLEWOOD, MITCHELL JOHNSON, MITCHELL MARSH, GLENN MAXWELL, STEVE SMITH, MITCHELL STARC, DAVID WARNER, SHANE WATSON

New Zealand Squad: BRENDON MCCULLUM (C), TRENT BOULT, GRANT ELLIOT, TOM LATHAM, MARTIN GUPTILL, MITCHELL MCCLENAGHAN, NATHAN MCCULLUM, KYLE MILLS, ADAM MILNE, DANIEL VETTORI, KANE WILLIAMSON, COREY ANDERSON, TIM SOUTHEE, LUKE RONCHI (W), ROSS TAYLOR

Author(s)