2015 Cricket World Cup Final Preview
Sunday 2:30pm, Melbourne Cricket Ground
A long 2015 Cricket World Cup has finally reached its grand stage with the final between the two host countries in Australia and New Zealand. Two of the tournament favourites and definitely the form teams, the final presents a mouth watering prospect for the MCG on Sunday afternoon.
There’s no doubt that the tournament has lifted in intensity through the quarter and semi finals, which now sets up this final encounter. Hopefully a capacity crowd creates a massive atmosphere in what will be one of the greatest Trans-Tasman contests of all time.
Australia were strong victors in their semi final against India. Batting first, they built a strong foundation through Finch and Smith, and then some late hitting from Faulkner, Maxwell and Johnson helped them post another 320+ score. While Finch struggled with his timing, he dug in well which allowed the team to bat around him – a task rarely seen, but still valuable in one-day cricket. All of the batsmen have performed during the series, with Smith leading the way. You get the feeling Warner is due to produce an innings of destruction and perhaps the final will be his stage.
With the ball, Mitchell Johnson was back to his best with key wickets through aggression, while Mitch Starc continues to wipe out any resistance from the tail. Glenn Maxwell also bowled some useful overs in the middle against India. His bowling shouldn’t be discounted, while his run out hitting just one stump was pure brilliance.
Meanwhile Michael Clarke has announced this will be his final ODI. No real surprises there as he only just got himself fit in time for this series and now needs to focus his attention on the baggy green for as long as possible.
The other semi final was an absolute classic for the ages and definitely New Zealand’s greatest win of all time against an in-form South Africa. The rain certainly hampered South Africa’s batting plans but for the Kiwis to chase down a near 300 score in just 43 overs was superb. With 12 needed off the last over you would’ve backed Dale Steyn to be able to do the job but Grant Elliott became a hero with a six off the second last ball to seal the win.
New Zealand have proven all tournament they are a dangerous team. With the bat, they are the quickest scoring team at the top of the innings with captain Brendon McCullum the huge dangerman for the Aussies. Get him early and it will be very tough for the Kiwis, but let him fire for even five overs, then it will launch the Kiwis into a big score. But their batting has many facets to it with Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson and Corey Anderson all capable of rising to the challenge while Ross Taylor and Luke Ronchi will bring some big ground experience to the table.
The only consideration for the Kiwis will be the bigger MCG ground. No longer will they be able to easily carry the ropes as they have been used to on their smaller New Zealand ground. They will need to be careful of being caught on the boundaries and look to push more twos than usual.
With the ball, the Kiwis have made great use of the favourable conditions of their home turf. Trent Boult leads the tournament for most wickets while Tim Southee and veteran Dan Vettori have also been great contributors. The only question with their bowling lays with the inexperience of Matt Henry at first change and whether he can hold his nerve on the big stage.
You would think that the MCG wicket will be extremely flat so with no assistance offered, will their bowlers be as effective in these conditions?
Verdict: It’s been a great tournament for New Zealand. They are undefeated and have performed incredibly well. The only time they were tested was against Australia who badly underperformed with the bat. That shouldn’t happen at home on the MCG where there are some question marks over the effectiveness of New Zealand’s bowling. Let’s hope it’s a close one, but Australia should gain the victory.
Recommended bet: We had Australia pre-tournament as a saver bet at $3.00, so we’ll ride that one out rather than plonking on them at the short price of $1.44 at Sportsbet now. However if you’re keen to back the Aussies, then you should be pretty safe to take them at Ladbrokes with the cash back promotion if they score 250+.
We’d also like to see Mitch Starc get at least one more wicket than Trent Boult to jag our pre-tournament most wickets bet at $11.
Look to use some of the handy promotions below to give yourself a sweat on some of the run scorer markets.
Take note: Any of the tips in this article are simply the author’s opinion, so bet at your own risk and always gamble responsibly. Also be sure to check out the Before You Bet Twitter Page for all our thoughts in the lead up to bets! Happy punting!
