Brendon McCullum, the former New Zealand captain has delivered his verdict on the national team’s performance in the 2021 T20 World Cup final. Brendon McCullum felt the Kiwis had the quality but failed to produce the goods as Australia emerged triumphantly.
Although New Zealand posted a formidable total of 172 after Australia inserted them to bat first, they were no match for the opposition. The Aussies, led by Mitchell Marsh (77*) and David Warner (53) who added 92 together for the second wicket, soared to an eight-wicket win.
Brendon McCullum: New Zealand Didn’t Fire The Bullets They Took
Brendon McCullum believes New Zealand played defensively and didn’t ‘fire the bullets’ they took.
“I don’t want to say we took a knife to a gunfight … we took a gun, but we didn’t fire any bullets. They were a little bit timid. Just a missed opportunity, we didn’t fire the bullets we took.”
Australia maintained their impressive record against the Black Caps in knockout games, with the latter’s last win coming in 1981. Kane Williamson-led New Zealand would have also looked to avenge their 2015 World Cup final loss but were unsuccessful.
Australia lifted their maiden T20 World Cup trophy with a commanding eight-wicket win over New Zealand in the title clash which was rendered one-sided by Mitchell Marsh with his blistering 77-run knock, on Sunday. Skipper Kane Williamson top-scored for the Black Caps with his 85-run knock while opener Martin Guptill contributed 28 runs after Australia inserted them in to take the first strike.
Brendon McCullum Expected A Bit More From Martin Guptill Who Scored Only 28 Off 35 Balls
Brendon McCullum pointed out that Martin Guptill’s 35-ball 28 was disappointing as he failed to accelerate at the right time. Pacer Josh Hazlewood (3/16) took three out of four wickets to fall in NZ innings while leg-spinner Adam Zampa (1/26) accounted for Martin Guptill. Australian opener David Warner’s 38-ball 53 and Mitchell Marsh’s 50-ball unbeaten 77 meant that Australia overhauled the target with consummate ease in 18.5 overs.
The 40-year old Brendon McCullum added: “I just expected a bit more from Martin Guptill, he got 28 off 35 balls in the final and that in isolation doesn’t look great. But then when you strip it down, he was 16 off 15 to get under way in the final, and then his next 20 balls he scored 12 runs, that’s the time where you need to be accelerating, and all it did [was] take the air out of us. That was the most glaringly obvious part of our batting.”
Kane Williamson, the Kiwi skipper, played an outstanding knock of 85 and cut loose perfectly. The right-handed batsman took Mitchell Starc to the cleaners, smashing him for 22 runs in his third over after starting slowly. Nevertheless, it wasn’t enough to ensure a win for New Zealand on the night.
Brief Scores:
New Zealand: 172/4 in 20 overs. (K Williamson 85, J Hazlewood 3/16, A Zampa 1/26).
Australia: 173/2 in 18.5 overs. (M Marsh 77 not out, D Warner 53; T Boult 2/18).