Australia takes home their maiden ICC T20 World Cup

ICC T20 World Cup 2021, Dubai: OUR TAKE #5: The final between fierce rivals Australia and New Zealand pans out to be a one-sided affair. Australia sweeps the Men in Black with 8 wickets victory.

The most important factor playing in UAE is the toss. From the past 2 months, IPL and T20 World Cup have seen some results which are purely based on who wins the toss.

Australia got the benefit of winning the toss and decided to bowl first. The first 10 overs are very crucial for both teams. If you can make 80 or 85 runs in the first 10 overs, you will have a chance to convert it to 200.

However, if you can’t even score at 6 an over than 170 to 180 will be the highest you can achieve against a strong team. Pakistan and England too was the victim of toss favors. In all the three knockout matches, the team batting first failed to overcome the 6 runs per over mark in the first 10 overs, which became the crux for the results.

Tonight was no different, the same thing which helped NZ in the semis haunted them in the finals. A slow start cost them 15 runs to their final score. Their T20 specialist Martin Guptill was literally paralyzed from some superb bowling and the slowness of the pitch.

The star of the show was Josh Hazlewood picking up three wickets in his spell and just giving away 16 runs. He was well supported by Adam Zampa and Pat Cummins with their efficient spells.

New Zealand needed their skipper to show himself in this important moment and he did that gracefully. His inning was one of the best through the tournament so far. Playing with a strike rate of 177, he took on their main strike bowler, Mitchell Starc, to provide New Zealand with a fighting score of 172.

A nightmare outing for Mitchell Starc going for 60 runs in his four overs. Maxwell and Marsh too did not have a great day with the bowl. It looked like spinners will not be that effective in the 2nd innings with the way Zampa and Maxwell finished their spells.

The ICC Test Champions were nearly 15 runs short of a winning score. Their first card was an ace getting rid of Aaron Finch in the third over. Till then everything was under control and manageable.

However, when mighty Mitchell Marsh entered the arena, the Men in Black looked powerless. He started to smash the ball like a robot trained to destroy the target. Watching him slay the opponent, Warner too joined the act. Their partnership of 92 runs in just 10 overs shifted the game.

Then came the hero for RCB, who was rusty during this tournament, but came to play just at the right time. They never looked back after that. Chased down the target of 173 with 7 balls remaining. Mitchell Marsh was adjourned the Player of the Match. While David Warner was awarded the Man of the Match.

Only Trent Boult was noticeable in the bowling lineup. All other bowlers were pretty ordinary. And with dew in effect, Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner had rough spells. Especially Sodhi was awful with his line and length.

Like Starc, Australia went after Southee and also took Milne with them. Nothing much New Zealand skipper, Kane Williamson could do to stop the Australian surge. The pitch, the bowling, the luck nothing was working in their favor. Congratulations to the Cricket Australia Board and the team for their maiden T20 World Cup trophy.

Nevertheless, A great match to finish the tournament and both these teams will be again the favorites in the next year’s ICC T20 World Cup 2022 to be held in Australia.

The format as exciting as it is can not be played in UAE. Or you have to do something which justifies who would bat first or ball first. Toss isn’t the right way to judge that, especially on the pitches of UAE.

Watch Australia vs New Zealand, ICC T20 World Cup 2021 Finals highlights.

Australia vs New Zealand, ICC T20 World Cup 2021: post match speech.

Mitchell Marsh:

“I have no words to describe my feelings. Coaching staff while on the West Indies tour came up with a plan to bat me at number 3 and I grabbed that opportunity with both hands. There wasn’t a lot of thinking behind the ball six, I just tried to play my game and register my presence. It was an unbelievable feeling.”

David Warner:

“It was all about going back to the basics and I managed to do that. This win is tight there with 2015 and the team and support staff were amazing throughout the tournament. I am always pumped and wanted to put up a spectacle in the final. There were nerves but I am glad that the players delivered.”

Kane Williamson:

“We were trying to get a platform as the surface was holding up. Australia are a fantastic side and the way they chased down the target was full of intent. At the halfway stage, we made every effort to get a competitive total. Australia didn’t give us an inch but I am proud of my team for the way we operated in this tournament. The guys were very committed and we adapted quite well to the different challenges. There were some high hopes coming in, so we are feeling it a bit. There are only two possible outcomes and it’s a shame we couldn’t pull it off this evening.”

Aaron Finch:

“This victory is huge. I am very proud of my boys and we had our backs to the wall before the tournament started. David Warner was outstanding and it’s hard to understand those people who wrote him off. Zampa is a super player and for me, he is the player of the tournament. Mitchell Marsh started the innings quite powerfully and put pressure on the kiwis. The contribution of Wade and Stoinis is also vital because of which we got to play the finals.”