The 2015 ICC World Cup will come to end on Sunday as the two co-host nations Australia and New Zealand take on each other in the final at Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday.
New Zealand are electrifying, but Australia are clinical at home. The visitors are unbeaten, but the hosts have big-tournament pedigree. The teams have largely kept things classy, sure, but on both sides of the Tasman, there is an edge to this final.The absence of needle, with the teams not being at loggerheads, and the presence of enormous respect for one another's combative skills should not be misconstrued as a lack of intent on either side. They are both capable of launching spectacular assaults, with their captains unwilling to take their feet off the pedal.The teams are equally hungry. They are blessed with explosive batsmen and others who can ensure that the power hitters come in at the appropriate times; they have quality fast bowlers and are terrific fielding sides; New Zealand have cricket's shrewdest left-arm spinner, Daniel Vettori to support pace bowlers while Australia rely on Glenn Maxwell to fill up as fifth bowler.
Following are the stats-
New Zealand are electrifying, but Australia are clinical at home. The visitors are unbeaten, but the hosts have big-tournament pedigree. The teams have largely kept things classy, sure, but on both sides of the Tasman, there is an edge to this final.The absence of needle, with the teams not being at loggerheads, and the presence of enormous respect for one another's combative skills should not be misconstrued as a lack of intent on either side. They are both capable of launching spectacular assaults, with their captains unwilling to take their feet off the pedal.The teams are equally hungry. They are blessed with explosive batsmen and others who can ensure that the power hitters come in at the appropriate times; they have quality fast bowlers and are terrific fielding sides; New Zealand have cricket's shrewdest left-arm spinner, Daniel Vettori to support pace bowlers while Australia rely on Glenn Maxwell to fill up as fifth bowler.
Following are the stats-
- Australia have won their last six matches at the MCG, going back to 2012. They did however, lose their most recent match against New Zealand there, in 2009.
- New Zealand beat Australia earlier in the tournament by one wicket. It was a low scoring match as Australia was bowled out for 151 in 32.2 overs. New Zealand beat the score only in 23.1 overs.
- Shane Watson has scored 86 runs off the 85 balls Tim Southee has bowled to him in ODIs, without being dismissed.
- Ross Taylor has been dismissed three times by off-spinners in the tournament, more than any other player. He has also fallen once to leg-spin.
- New Zealand have not an ODI played in Australia in five years but they will remember that the last time a Black Caps team beat the home side, the game had been played at MCG. As many as seven players in the current squad were part of that team that made light of the fact they were playing on a larger ground than any in their own nation.
- Trent Boult and Mitchell Starc are the tournament's top wicket-takers, with 21 and 20 scalps respectively. Boult has taken his wickets at an average of 15.76. Starc's taken his at 10.20.
- Steve Smith's last 12 ODI innings in Australia have produced 812 runs at an average of 81.2 and a strike rate of 96.4.
- Brendon McCullum has scored 308 of his 329 tournament runs in the mandatory power play, hitting 59 boundaries in the 150 balls he has faced.
- Batsmen have failed to make contact with 27.2% of shots played off Mitchell Starc's bowling in the tournament - the next highest play and miss percentage is Vernon Philander's 18.4%.
- These two played against each other nine times so far at World Cups. Australia is quite ahead of its neighbour in terms of past records. It won six of those while the Kiwis won the other three.
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