Melbourne: The big question now in Melbourne is can New Zealand remain unbeaten in the this World Cup and emerge champions? Interestingly, even the Australians are not asking whether their country will win the World Cup again but what everyone is more keen is to see is whether New Zealand will extend their unbeaten run till the end.
New Zealand fans have started arriving here hoping to see their country create cricket history. The team have already made a mark by making it to the final for the first time in a World Cup and the fact that New Zealand will be tested for the first time outside their country this time makes the contest against Australia even more fascinating.
The first question Australian skipper Michael Clarke was asked on reaching the final was about New Zealand’s domination and whether they would be able to continue it in Melbourne. “Conditions are a lot different here to what it is in New Zealand. Although we have played a fair bit of cricket throughout this summer at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), we still need to play our best to beat a very good opposition. New Zealand has been the in-form team of the competition and certainly deserve to be in the final.”
Interestingly, Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni provided an even more in-depth reply to the query on New Zealand’s chances. “One of the big things that New Zealand will have to deal with is the size of the field. In New Zealand, you can get away with quite a few mistimed shots. Generally, we have seen in New Zealand that you get very good wickets. Hamilton is one wicket where it holds on a bit but other than that, all the wickets have been just fantastic. But when you come to Australia, you get a bit of reverse swing and at the same time you may get wickets where it’s slightly two-paced, especially if you talk about MCG.”
Dhoni also feels that Australia’s familiarity with the wicket will help. “Australians have that advantage of knowing the wickets well, and having three left-arm fast bowlers in their armoury. Overall, New Zealand is a very contributive side. They really do well in all the ICC tournaments. May the best team win.”
Clarke was also effusive in his praise for the New Zealand team. “New Zealand deserve a lot of credit. I don’t think it bothers us too much about who we have to play. Our priority and goal was to get into the finals. “There has always been that great rivalry between Australia and New Zealand. I think the fact that the two hosting nations are in the final is extremely special. There is a great mutual respect between both teams. Once we walk out onto that field, we know it’s going to be an extremely tough battle; we’re going to be up for that. But off the field, both teams get on really well.”
