T20 World Cup final AUS vs NZ: Watch that coin!

The TransTasman rivalry between Australia and New Zealand is not as bitter as IndiaPakistanrsquos Itrsquos not even as fierce as the Ashes but they will be at each otherrsquos throats when they clash in the final here today in a bid to lay their hands on the T20 World Cup for the first timeAustralia have been the 50overs World Cup champions a record five times but surprisingly the T20 trophy is missing from their cupboard and they realise this is their best chance to put the record straightNew Zealand were in the past considered the perennial underachievers but have opened a new chapter under skipper Kane Williamson and in the last couple of years they have been among the top teams in all three formats In three successive ICC events they have made it to the finals losing the 2019 World Cup to England by the skin of their teeth and then defeated India to clinch the Test Championship in June Now they have a chance to enhance their reputation by claiming the T20 World CupAustralia skipper Aaron Finch and New Zealand captain Kane Williamson pose with the ICC T20 World Cup in Dubai on SaturdayOne can say that both the teams are evenly matched judging from the identical comefrombehind victories in the semifinals against fancied opponents Both had won the toss in the semifinals and despite the pressures of chasing in a knockout game took the plunge and emerged successfulAn added advantageThus more than anything else it will be the toss that will be the focus of attention Of course winning the toss gives an added advantage but by no means guarantees the trophy For that the side has to perform at its optimum Australia captain Aaron Finch discounted that winning the toss will ensure a victory ldquoI think when it the toss comes to finals it doesnrsquot make too much of a difference to be honest I believe getting runs on the board especially in a final can be really beneficial Wersquove talked about it Wersquore confident that we can win if we happen to bat first or secondrdquo said FinchImpossible to differentiateGoing into the final itrsquos almost impossible to separate the two teams as both bat deep have powerful hitters down the order a wellrounded bowling attack and have lost just one game Over that their identical fivewicket wins with one over to spare in the semifinals just puts them on even keelFinch feels that the Aussies have hit top gear at the right time and are confident going into the crunch game ldquoWe feel as though wersquove got a lot of bases covered with the batWersquove got guys that can go big wersquove got guys with power wersquove got great spin options allround pace optionsI love the makeup of the squad It just comes down to the day doesnrsquot it and thatrsquos what yoursquore judged on at the end of the dayrdquo Despite the absence of injured wicketkeeperbatsman Devon Conway who will be replaced by regular wicketkeeper Tim Seifert Williamson is also confident that the players will go out and express themselves without getting overwhelmed by the big deciding gameldquoItrsquos great to be here in the final For us itrsquos about going out and playing our game expressing ourselves and committing to those little things that give us the best chance And as Australia are a very strong side and have been playing really well it should be a really good game of cricketrdquoIndeed the fans all over the world will be looking forward to a great game of cricket for one final time in this World Cup in which a few top teams were brushed aside despite being rated among the front runners14No of times Australia and NZ have played against each other in T20Is Australia have won nine while the Kiwis emerged victorious five timesTwoNo of times Australia and NZ have clashed against each other in an ICC final The Aussies won both occasions1981The last time NZ beat Australia in a knockout game of a tournament Both teams have met 16 times in knockouts since thenAlso Read MCA unhappy as Mumbai coach Muzumdar applies for NCA job