NEWS
Follow UsAustralia and New Zealand played some outstanding cricket throughout the tournament to reach the final of the ICC T20 World Cup and they will have an opportunity to win the tournament for the first-ever time. While Australia were never the favourite, they have played some exceptional cricket along the way to beat some strong sides in the competition. On the other hand, New Zealand, apart from their only loss to Pakistan, have played some breath-taking cricket and knocked England out in a stunning fashion.
Writing for Times of India, VVS Laxman stated that there is very little to choose from between the two finalists but he backed the Aussies because of the injury to New Zealand's in-form batter Devon Conway.
"There is little to choose between the two finalists, with Australia having the slight edge following the freak injury to Devon Conway. But as history will testify, New Zealand is a side than can be taken lightly at one’s own peril," Laxman wrote in his column for The Times of India on Saturday.
"There was a touch of similarity to the way the two last-four clashes played out. First Kane Williamson and then Aaron Finch hit it lucky with the coin. Those were significant off-field developments, for this tournament has favoured teams chasing," said Laxman.
While toss has been a crucial factor in the ongoing T20 World Cup, Laxman stated that eventually, the result will boil down to who wins the small passages of play. "The toss, however, is only one component; it doesn’t guarantee success. In T20 cricket, it’s not even the team that plays better on the day that comes up trumps. It often boils down to a short, sharp passage of play," Laxman added.