After their hard battle for a long time, both England and New Zealand are just one victory away to claim their maiden Cricket World Cup trophy. If the weather doesn’t disturb much in this game, we are getting a new Cricket World Cup champion on Sunday (14th July) evening.
On Sunday, the hosts England will face New Zealand in the final of the 2019 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup at Lord’s (London). England will play their fourth CWC final while New Zealand will play their second CWC final.
Earlier, England had played the CWC finals in 1979, 1987 and 1992. Meanwhile, New Zealand had played their maiden CWC final in the previous edition (2015). However, both sides had only faced defeats in their previous CWC final matches. So, both teams are desperate to end their CWC trophy drought. However, only one team is likely to finish this tournament with the broad smile and the CWC trophy (unless rain god forces to declare England and New Zealand as the joint winners).
England’s present form
England have started this tournament as one of the top favourite sides to win this trophy. However, their journey in this tournament isn’t so easy that many experts have thought. While they dominated in the first batting games, they massively failed at chasing. In the round-robin stage, England suffered defeats against Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the defending champions Australia, and England batted second in all those losing games.
Meanwhile, England easily secured their victories when they batted first. Apart from their win against Windies, England’s other victories in the round-robin stage came in the first batting.
In the semi-final against the defending champions Australia, England dominated at chasing and have qualified for the final. Their semi-final performance was an excellent sign for them, but can they manage to maintain the same attitude at big chasing?
Also Read : ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 (Final): New Zealand vs England – Stats Preview
England’s batting is probably the strongest batting side in this tournament. Their most of the batsmen are in good form, and many of them have the abilities to play long innings.
The English bowlers are also in a very good rhythm on their home soil. Jofra Archer‘s last-minute inclusion is proving valuable for England as the young pacer is playing the most crucial role in the bowling side.
New Zealand’s present form
On the other hand, the previous edition’s runners-up New Zealand have impressively started this tournament. They were on the top position after the first six matches of the round-robin stage of this tournament. After the first six matches, New Zealand won five games, and their other one game against India had no result due to the rain washout.
However, soon, their dream run faded away due to the three consecutive defeats in the round-robin stage. In their last three round-robin stage matches, New Zealand lost against Pakistan, England and Australia respectively.
In the first semi-final of this tournament, struggling New Zealand faced another favourite side of this tournament India at Manchester. That game was stretched to the reserve-day due to the rain-interruption on the first day. After New Zealand managed to put 239/8 (50 overs) on the board, Indian top-order batsmen failed massively. Though India’s middle-order batsmen tried hard to make a remarkable comeback, New Zealand finally managed to win that match by 18 runs.
New Zealand opener Martin Guptill is totally out of touch. The right-handed batsman is struggling to find his form. Their batting unit has mostly relied on the captain Kane Williamson and the experienced batsman Ross Taylor. New Zealand’s middle-order batsmen are not so strong enough at the present moment.
On the other hand, New Zealand’s front-line bowlers are in top form. However, their fifth bowler issue is another big headache for them.
Latest news for both teams
Both teams are highly expected to field their strongest playing XIs for their most crucial match of this year. Their top players have no major fitness issues at present.
Match Prediction
Both teams have the abilities to win this match and secure this trophy. However, the hosts England are the better-balanced side than the Kiwis.
In the round-robin stage, England beat New Zealand by 119 runs at Chester-le-Street. Moreover, England have dominated New Zealand in their recent ODI meetings.
On the other hand, New Zealand have an outstanding record at the Lord’s, and England have mostly struggled at this venue. In their two ODI meetings at this venue, New Zealand won both those matches.
Another crucial point is that the final match also has a reserve-day.