Final - New Zealand v Australia (29th March)

[OverratedSanity]

Yeah I looked at it as a pure bowler comparison for some reason.

 

[Prince EWS]

It's really hard to do a player v player comparison for Australia because it has such an unorthodox balanced. I find such comparisons overly simplistic at the best of times but with an ODI team like Australia I think it's next to pointless.

 

[OverratedSanity]

It's really hard to do a player v player comparison for Australia because it has such an unorthodox balanced. I find such comparisons overly simplistic at the best of times but with an ODI team like Australia I think it's next to pointless.

I don't think it's unorthodox really... it's just amazing tbh. The fact that they have batting all the way down till no.9 despite playing 4 frontline bowlers and multiple batsmen providing useful jammy bowling is something most teams would want.

 

[Prince EWS]

I don't think it's unorthodox really... it's just amazing tbh. The fact that they have batting all the way down till no.9 despite playing 4 frontline bowlers and multiple batsmen providing useful jammy bowling is something most teams would want.

Yeah indeed, but the balance itself is one of the biggest strengths of the side, and it's something you don't really get a sense of by comparing Faulkner to Vettori or Maxwell to Elliott and asking yourself who's better.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Yeah indeed, but the balance itself is one of the biggest strengths of the side, and it's something you don't really get a sense of by comparing Faulkner to Vettori or Maxwell to Elliott and asking yourself who's better.

Yeah but it's fun

 

[viriya]

NZ need to get Smith and Clarke out asap and get the hitters in before the 25th over - they won't know what to do. All on Boult I think.

When batting, Baz needs to do something special I feel. Kane has been underperforming in knockouts so I'm not sure if he can be relied on.

Feel like NZ have to have close to a perfect game, the location and the fact that NZ are just showing up to Aus to play a final after spending months at home is a significant advantage for Aus. If this game had been played at Eden Park I would have had NZ favorites.

 

[Antihippy]

NZ need to get Smith and Clarke out asap and get the hitters in before the 25th over - they won't know what to do. All on Boult I think.

Admittedly new zealand is a much better bowling side than england, but this match did happen not that long ago y'know.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgBVbU_roRo

 

[Grasshopper]

NZ need to get Smith and Clarke out asap and get the hitters in before the 25th over - they won't know what to do. All on Boult I think.

When batting, Baz needs to do something special I feel. Kane has been underperforming in knockouts so I'm not sure if he can be relied on.

Feel like NZ have to have close to a perfect game, the location and the fact that NZ are just showing up to Aus to play a final after spending months at home is a significant advantage for Aus. If this game had been played at Eden Park I would have had NZ favorites.

For some reason I'm a lot more relaxed about the Black Caps' chances in the Final than in the Semi Final. So far they've weathered everything that's been thrown at them in the World Cup, and emerged as the only unbeaten side...so far. It's 50/50 imho. I rarely bet, but tomorrow I'm off to the TAB to put a tenner on NZ to win and Ronchi to top score. Last of the big spenders...

 

[hendrix]

If NZ win I don't think Ronchi will be the top scorer.

 

[SuperMurali]

Game is getting moved to Hobart. The BlackCaps aren't enough of a drawcard to play at the MCG

 

[TC123]

Let's be real. Is there a single neutral supporting Australia?

C'arn Kiwis. **** 'em up.

Probably not. I wonder why??

 

[Zinzan]

Enjoying the #mcgsobig twitter response to Hayden's trolling about the MCG being too big for NZ.

I especially liked the tweets from KW's parody account;

The reality is the boundaries themselves aren't that much bigger than the Cake Tin in Wellington, where Guptill was hitting them 20 rows back with ease. The only difference being the Cake Tin is longer straight and the MCG longer square.

 

[Flem274*]

this post is more to those who seriously think the size of the ground is a big deal and not the trolls.

a guy im FB friends with just posted an overlay of the eden park and westpac sixes over the mcg on tony veitches radio fb page and if guptill gets going we're still going to lose a few balls. the boundaries are a non-issue, as anyone with a brain knew already.

 

[Zinzan]

FTR, Elliott's winning six was measured at 81 meters slightly straight of mid-on, so would have cleared it at any of those grounds.

 

[Zinzan]

this post is more to those who seriously think the size of the ground is a big deal and not the trolls.

a guy im FB friends with just posted an overlay of the eden park and westpac sixes over the mcg on tony veitches radio fb page and if guptill gets going we're still going to lose a few balls. the boundaries are a non-issue, as anyone with a brain knew already.

Sorry, wasn't aware I didn't have permission to post it anyway.

 

[Flem274*]

Sorry, wasn't aware I didn't have permission to post it anyway.

nah he drew a different pic using the mighty paint. i dont think anyone will care if you nicked a diagram anyway

edit: unless you think i think you're trolling or something?

 

[Zinzan]

nah he drew a different pic using the mighty paint. i dont think anyone will care if you nicked a diagram anyway

Yeah, I was being factious

 

[Zinzan]

3 things that fester away & bother me about NZ's campaign;

1) No pre-final hit-outs in Australia - If we do manage to make the final it will be our first game in Australia, making us the only side with no cricket there. Will the big grounds & extra bounce be counter-intuitive to our big-hitting approach or will it work well for the likes of Williamson and Taylor nudging it into the gaps?

2) The fact there's Quarter finals - I'd rate NZ's chances much higher if it was like '92 when all sides played each-other once & the top 4 teams on points went into the semis. Still think 3 crunch must-win games in a row for NZ is a big call with the attacking style we play with.

3) Injury to any of our batsmen - fairly obviously our biggest concern, a huge drop in quality on the bench.

3 things that don't really bother me;

1) A bowling injury - Wouldn't be a good thing, but we have great bench strength.

2) Losing the toss - I think most of us just accept that the toss has not been kind to NZ in the last 12 months & and kind of view it as a big bonus when we win one.

3) Losing early wickets - If we do lose a couple of wickets early on, we've shown we have enough class and depth to dig ourselves out & we're not that overly reliant on McCullum even if he is our golden goose.

Think I posted this after the England game or thereabouts;

Of my concerns, there's nothing really remaining. I mean even if NZ did have one pool game in Australia, unless it was at the MCG itself, really doubt it would've made much of a difference.

The only thing I would swap around is my position on the toss. Recent history is so in favour of the team batting first at the G, it's not funny. Hoping all the bad luck we've have had with the toss in the last year or so will change when it matters. Unless there's rain around, we badly need to bat first.

 

[Athlai]

We're going to win. It's our destiny. The stars have aligned. We want it more. We've earned the right to be destined to win. Our cliches are clicheier.

44 hours from kickoff. Athlai has lost it, he appears to be muttering to himself and seems to have developed a nervous twitch. Pre-match expectations are negative 9 Gambhirs on the anti-jinxing scale.

 

[kiwiviktor81]

I'm going to the TAB tomorrow to put $300 on Australia. Because I always lose at the TAB, this should be the final act that seals victory for the Black Caps.