Australia vs NZ T20 World Cup final tips & top value bets

The battle of the Tasman rivals will decide who is the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup champion when New Zealand and Australia meet in the final on Sunday evening in Dubai.

The Black Caps come into the final on the back of a dramatic victory against England in their semi-final on Wednesday night, following a power-hitting assault from allrounder Daryl Mitchell.

The Aussies were not to be outdone, however, with middle-order combatants Matthew Wade and Marcus Stoinis blasting out the previously undefeated Pakistan on Thursday night.

With both teams coming off pulsating wins, Sunday’s final may be decided by who can come back down off that exhilarating high the best and keep their composure in clutch moments.

The Kiwis are arguably the best all-format team going around at the moment; they are the reigning ICC World Test champions, they were cruelly defeated on a controversial countback in the 2019 ODI Cricket World Cup final, and now they are perfectly placed to take out their first T20 World Cup title.

With Martin Guptill (4) and Kane Williamson (5) failing at the top of the order, it was left to Guptill’s opening partner to carry his bat through the run chase against England, and he absolutely bullied the likes of Chris Woakes and Chris Jordan late on.

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Mitchell’s 72 not out off 47 balls was a T20 opening masterclass, and if he, Devon Conway and Jimmy Neesham can prove to be worthy contributors alongside Guptill and Williamson in the final, another major tournament could be heading to New Zealand.

The Aussies will be looking to carry on the momentum Stoinis (40* off 31) and Wade (41* off 17) provided them in the back half of their run chase against Pakistan, helping them recover from 96/5 to go on and knock off the 177 target within 19 overs.

Australia have been crying out for almost a decade for a ‘finisher’ in their T20 side, and Wade’s performance was a throwback to the days of Mike Hussey and Michael Bevan. If the top order does not fire on Sunday, the middle order may be required to save the day once more.

Despite both sides having their strengths with the bat, the final may come down to how the respective bowling sides go. Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood struggled against Pakistan, whilst Adam Zampa and Mitchell Starc were the chief destroyers.

For NZ, the veteran duo of Tim Southee and Trent Boult will have the ball hooping around corners to begin their spells, whilst Ish Sodhi and Mitch Santner will be looking to tighten the screws in the middle overs with their cunning variations.

T20 World Cup final betting predictions

Match result: Australia

Even though the Kiwis are potentially the best all-format team in the world, the Australian cricket culture is based around winning finals, and we expect Aaron Finch’s men will walk away from the UAE as T20 World Cup champions. When these two sides met in New Zealand earlier in the year, the Kiwis took out the five-match series 3-2, but on neutral ground, the Aussies can turn the tables on their rivals. David Warner has recaptured his form at the top of the order, averaging a tick over 47 in the tournament, whilst Adam Zampa has 12 wickets from six matches. If they restrict the impact of Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson early on, it will go a long way to bringing the T20 World Cup to Australia for the first time.

Top Australia wicket-taker: Mitchell Starc

Go back to the 2015 ODI Cricket World Cup final, when it was Mitchell Starc who set the scene with a brilliant first over that included the wicket of NZ captain Brendon McCullum. Starc will be the one to set the tempo once again on Sunday night, and although he has not been at his destructive best this tournament, he loves playing against New Zealand – no matter the format. Remarkably, this will be the first time the big left-armer has faced New Zealand in a T20I, but with an average of 17.52 and two five-wicket hauls against them in ODI cricket, Starc is the one we expect to break the hearts of the Kiwis with the ball.