Australia and New Zealand reached the final of the T20 World Cup thanks to pulsating semi-final victories over Pakistan and England this week and the Trans-Tasman rivals should put on a great show in Dubai on Sunday.
Neither team has been crowned Twenty20 world champions before and Australia are favourites to lift the trophy, although they were beaten 3-2 by the Black Caps in a T20 series in New Zealand in March.
Improving Aussies Cannot Take Underdogs Lightly
Australia came into the World Cup with modest expectations after 4-1 series defeats in the West Indies and Bangladesh this year and they scraped past South Africa in their opening Group 1 game.
A thumping eight-wicket defeat to England, who reached their victory target with 50 balls to spare, put a dent in the Aussies’ chances of reaching the semi-finals, but they finished the group stage strongly and a brilliant sixth-wicket partnership between Marcus Stoinis and Matthew Wade saw them home against Pakistan on Thursday.
From strength to strength
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Aaron Finch’s side are 5/9 to beat 13/10 shots New Zealand, who have won their last five matches after losing their opener to Pakistan.
The Kiwis’ resurgence started with an impressive eight-wicket victory over ante-post favourites India in Dubai, venue for Sunday’s final, and they upset a powerful England side in Wednesday’s first semi.
Opener Daryl Mitchell (72 not out) and all-rounder Jimmy Neesham (27 off 11 balls) struck seven sixes between them against England and the Black Caps are 23/20 to hit more maximums than Australia in the final.
Aussie wicketkeeper Wade sealed his side’s semi-final win with three consecutive sixes off Pakistan paceman Shaheen Shah Afridi and he is 18/1 to be named man of the match again on Sunday.
In-Form Openers Could Play Key Roles With The Bat
New Zealand have been forced into a change to their 11 as Devon Conway broke his hand punching his bat in frustration after his dismissal against England.
The wicketkeeper-batsman will be replaced by Tim Seifert, who has scored five fifties in 33 T20 internationals, but had a lean series against Australia earlier this year, making one, three, four and 19 in his four innings.
Seifert is 11/2 to be New Zealand’s top runscorer in a market headed by 11/4 shots opener Martin Guptill and skipper Kane Williamson.
From defeat to five straight wins
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Guptill made 93 against Scotland in Dubai during the group stage and his highest T20 international score of 105 came against Australia in 2018. The hard-hitting opener has scored 97, 43, seven and 71 in his last four appearances against the Aussies and he could be worth backing at 5/6 to score over 22.5 runs.
Australia opener David Warner is 5/2 to top-score for his side, having done so in their last two games with 89 not out against the Windies and 49 off 30 balls against Pakistan.
Semi-final batting heroes Wade and Stoinis, who also steered Australia to a tense victory over South Africa in their opening game, are 11/1 and 8/1 chances.
England’s Jos Buttler has scored the only century of the tournament so far, but batting seems to have become easier in recent games and it is 9/1 that any player reaches 100 in the final.
Spin King Sodhi Aiming To Torment Australia Again
Ish Sodhi was New Zealand’s bowling hero in the 3-2 series win over Australia earlier this year, picking up 13 wickets in five games, and he is 3/1 to be their top wicket-taker in the final.
Sodhi’s fellow leg-spinner Adam Zampa is 11/4 to be the Aussies’ top bowler and he has recorded the best bowling figures in the tournament: 5-19 against Bangladesh in Dubai.
Left-arm pace aces Trent Boult and Mitchell Starc are the 5/2 and 13/5 favourites to be their sides’ leading bowlers on Sunday. The pair were the top wicket-takers at the 2015 50-over World Cup, where Starc bowled Kiwi captain Brendon McCullum with the third ball of the final, and both have excelled at this tournament.
*All odds correct at time of writing