After India’s exit from the 2015 World Cup, the fizz of the tournament has diminished. But still there is some more cricket left in the event before things winds up. There will still be plenty of fans waiting to watch the Australia-New Zealand final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, but it won’t be the same.
During the 1987 World Cup in the sub-continent, the Indian team then had lost to England in the semi-final match. In the final, the entire Eden Gardens in then called Calcutta was packed with audience to watch the proceedings of the final match between Australia and England.
That year, Australia won their maiden World Cup and since then, they have won the 1999, 2003 and 2007 editions. So, all eyes will be on Australia again when take on Zealand in front of their home crowd.
The Australian captain Michael Clarke and his teammate David Warner do not need the support of social media to convey the message across to the Aussie fans to come in large numbers at the MCG for the 2015 World Cup. Because, they are not playing against India again.
Australia are clear favorites. They are superior to their opponent in every department of the game, playing in front of the home crowd and won two of their last knock-out matches without much of a struggle. Already, they upstaged India, the Pool B toppers, in the semis.
On Sunday, the Pool A toppers, New Zealand, are the one and only challenge left. If they win, this victory will make them the undisputed champions. However, it doesn’t appear easy as it sounds. Last time, when both the teams met earlier in the league phase, it was Australia who had to bite the dust. They had won the toss and had opted to bat at the Eden Park in Auckland.
Australia had a flying start to their innings but started losing the plot from 13th over onwards. From a score of 80 for 2, the Aussies were dismissed for 151 in 32.2 overs. In reply, New Zealand did struggle to chase and lost wickets at regular intervals, but in the end, they won the match by a narrow margin.
Now, this is the biggest match of the tournament, and, according to Indian captain MS Dhoni, New Zealand’s veteran left-armer Daniel Vettori will be a key factor. “I think (New Zealand left-arm spinner Daniel) Vettori’s performance will be crucial,” Dhoni was quoted as saying in the media on Saturday.
And the fact that Australia don’t have a quality spinner in their line-up, it can hurt the team at some level. “He is somebody who, in the middle overs, can really get wickets and he’s not someone you can easily score off. So he will be the key factor,” Dhoni had apparently said after India lost to Australia on Thursday.
But this final match is nothing but an age-old rivalry. Starting from ruby to cricket, both Australia and New Zealand have been tough opponents for years. The 2015 World Cup is yet another battle!
