If you go by social media trends, one of the two things are going to happen at the end of this World Cup: either Pakistan’s freaky 1992 similarities are going to take them all the way to the trophy or Australia’s champion DNA when it comes to game’s biggest tournament is going to be victorious.
Peaking at the right time, Australia on Saturday will resume their Trans-Tasman rivalry at the World Cup stage four years after their title clash. The defending champions are back at Lord’s after taking care of their oldest rival England and now take on a New Zealand side that suffered their first defeat of the tournament.
Barring the defeat against India, Australia have been playing like a well-oiled machine in this tournament, becoming the first team to qualify for the semifinals. The Aaron Finch-led side is in roaring form and would look to continue the winning momentum at the hallowed Lord’s.
| Matches played | Australia won | New Zealand won | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 136 (N/R: 7) | 90 | 39 |
| World Cup | 10 | 7 | 3 |
| ICC events (World Cup and Champions Trophy) | 16 (N/R: 2) | 11 | 3 |
Australia vs New Zealand at World Cup
| Edition | Team | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Australia won by 3 runs | Indore |
| 1987 | Australia won by 17 runs | Chandigarh |
| 1992 | New Zealand won by 37 runs | Auckland |
| 1996 | Australia won by 6 wickets | Chennai |
| 1999 | New Zealand won by 5 wickets | Cardiff |
| 2003 | Australia won by 96 runs | Port Elizabeth |
| 2007 | Australia won by 215 runs | St George's |
| 2011 | Australia won by 7 wickets | Nagpur |
| 2015 (Group stage) | New Zealand won by 1 wicket | Auckland |
| 2015 (Final) | Australia won by 7 wickets | Melbourne |
New Zealand go into the match after suffering a defeat against Pakistan, which snapped their unbeaten streak in the tournament.
The Black Caps – who have amazingly retained the same side for all their seven matches – have secured 11 points and need at least a win from their remaining two outings – against Australia and England (July 3) – to be assured of a fourth straight World Cup semifinals berth.
The two sides met in the 2015 final at the MCG and with memories of that game still fresh, Saturday’s match may turn out to be a cracker if New Zealand can play to their potential.
The Trans-Tasman rivalry is heavily skewed against the Kiwis with Australia having won all but one of the 20 ODIs played outside the two countries. But the Black Caps can take heart, if they so choose to, from the fact that the only time they defeated Australia at a neutral venue came was in the 1999 World Cup match at Sophia Gardens.
Not only history but current form of the players also point to five-time champions Australia beginning as the favourites.
Australia swept past hosts and pre-tournament favourites England by 64 runs in their last match and currently look like one of the sides most likely to lift the trophy.
Finch and David Warner have been the dominant opening duo of this tournament and are on track to become the greatest ever pair at the top in a World Cup. They rank first and second in the run-scoring lists, and have put on a record-equalling three century stands with two league games still to go.
Fast bowler Mitchell Starc is topping the bowling charts with 19 wickets at 18.26. He’s caused New Zealand batsmen headaches before with his bounce, swing and pace. Jason Behrendorff also came good with the new Kookaburra ball in the win over England as the left-armer took 5/44.
New Zealand will again rely heavily on captain Kane Williamson who has scored 414 runs in five innings. His lone century against Australia came when they last met, at the Champions Trophy in 2017, a contest that was washed out. His overall record against Australia (416 runs at 41.6 in 12 ODIs) is below his career average of 48.12 and the Kiwi skipper would want to put that record straight on Saturday at Lord’s.
New Zealand found themselves in front of a raucous pro-Pakistan crowd during a six-wicket loss at Edgbaston.
Lord’s is traditionally the most reserved of England’s major grounds but with many of the seats at the 28,500-capacity ground set to be occupied by Australia and New Zealand fans, Williamson is expecting a change in tone.
“Pakistan was very loud. Bangladesh, very loud. India, we didn’t even play (the match was a washout) and they were very loud,” a smiling Williamson said at Lord’s on Friday.
“Usually you come to Lord’s and there’s sort of a quiet murmur when you play England, but I guess playing Australia it might be a little bit different when you have Kiwis and Australians filling out the seats.
“It will be a really good atmosphere.”
Having been something of a lone warrior for his side with the bat, Williamson would be hoping the rest of the batting order comes good as well.
Squads:
Australia: Aaron Finch (capt), Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa.
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (capt), Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Colin Munro, Jimmy Neesham, Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Tom Blundell.
Match Starts at 6pm IST
(With AFP and PTI inputs)
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