The curtains are all set to come down on March 29 at the MCG, on what has been an entertaining world cup.
A spirited New Zealand will take on the professional Aussie outfit in front of a capacity crowd for the top honors.
The earlier match in the competition between these two sides was a real thriller with New Zealand prevailing over Australia by one wicket thanks to the performances of Kane Williamson and Trent Boult. However, New Zealand had the advantage of playing that match at home whereas this time, the Aussies would enjoy the home advantage.
But the most important factor in the final could well be the huge size of the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
MS Dhoni himself emphasized this when he said, “One of the biggest things that the New Zealand team will have to deal with is the size of the field," Dhoni said.
"In New Zealand you can get away with quite a few mis-timed shots. Generally what we have seen in New Zealand, you get very good wickets. But when you come to Australia, you get a bit of reverse swing, and at the same time you may get wickets where it's slightly two-paced, especially if you talk about the MCG. How to take risks will be something that's very crucial.
"Australia has that advantage of knowing the wickets well, and having three fast bowlers in their armory because that will certainly help them. But overall we have seen New Zealand is one side that's a very competitive side. All the ICC tournaments, they do really well,” added Dhoni.
Meanwhile, responding to Brendon McCullum’s fearsome hitting across the tournament, Australian batsman, Aaron Finch said, “I’d like to see him try that in Melbourne.”
Another factor in favor of Australia is that the New Zealanders have played all their matches at home and will be playing their first match in Australia. In fact, they haven’t played in Australia since 2011.
Come this Sunday, we will know the answers to all the questions! Who will be the world champions this time? Australia adding another crown to their kitty or New Zealand winning it for the first time and creating history?
