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Australia v New Zealand – The FINAL
The final of the Champions trophy will be played between the two traditional Trans-Tasman rivals as Australia and New Zealand go up against each other here in centurion on Monday. Both teams have made good use of the South Africans conditions en route to the finals and have been very steady in their run. Both captains have praised this edition of the tournament. Australian captain Ricky Ponting was particularly lavish in his praise. “I think it’s been an excellent tournament. It’s been very rushed for us and England, coming in as late as we did. But this has certainly been the best and most enjoyable Champions Trophy that I’ve played in. To have the best eight teams, over a shorter period of time, people in this country and all over the world have enjoyed the one-day cricket played over the last couple of weeks. These events are about showcasing the game, and I think the ICC and the players have done a terrific job of making this tournament a spectacle for the 50-over game.” he said. Daniel Vettori in addition warned against an overkill of ODIs and believed this is where this tournament was particularly successful. He agreed with Ponting and believed that the USP of the current edition was its short format and the standard of cricket. Now the onus is on both teams to end the tournament on a high and give the fans a spectacular game of cricket in the finals.
There are no clear favorites in the match as both teams have defied critics and have been very consistent in executing their plans especially New Zealand who have sustained their winning streak despite injuries to some big players like Oram and Ryder. Grant Elliot was inspirational in the semis shrugging of an injury scare in the pre-match and scoring a match-winning knock for his country. The Kiwi captain- a Delhi daredevil- Dan Vettori has been both natural with the ball and defiant with the bat. He is been a loyal servant of NZ cricket for a decade now; Winning the champions trophy as captain will be the ultimate high for the champion bowler. For Australia, Shane Watson has come to the party with both bat and ball and their captain- one of the best batsmen in ODI cricket- is in blistering form. Michael Hussey is the ace of spades as he has been uncannily away from spotlight this whole cricketing season. The final is the right platform for him to remind the world of his abilities. In terms of motivation, there is big contrast for the teams, Winning big tournaments is a way of life for erstwhile and the current Australian team and it goes without saying that they would like to keep it this way. For New Zealand, it’s a day of reckoning and history beckons them to finally oblige themselves with some long overdue cricketing glory. So all my fellow cricket fans not to forget my fellow 6UP fans, brace yourselves for a cracker!
Prateek Kapil
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