Australia v New Zealand – ICC Champions Trophy Final

In two acts of fate, one unexpected and one very familiar, New Zealand reached the ICC Champions final and England crashed at the hands of Australia. England crumbled miserably at the batting prowess of Australia. Ricky Ponting and Shane Watson both hit heavy centuries as they cruised to a nine wicket win. The old batting problems came right back to haunt England, with only a determined stand by all rounder Tim Bresnan getting them towards a reasonable total. Bresnan hit a swashbuckling 80 (from 76 balls) out of the 257 total, with only Luke Wright really adding any kind of decent contribution with a handy 48. While the batsmen again couldn’t handle the Aussie bowling attack, the England bowling attack without Stuart Broad only made one significant breakthrough, with Graham Onions taking out Tim Paine. So desperate was Captain Andrew Strauss to take a wicket that he used seven bowlers, but it was all in vain, as the Aussies strolled into the final.

Joining them will be neighbours New Zealand, as they pulled off a momentous win against Pakistan. No-one would have given the Kiwis much of a chance coming into the tournament, and added to that the injury problems they have had, they deserve much credit for their fine battling displays. In contrast to England’s batting display, the top order of the Kiwi’s all contributed well, with Grant Elliot’s rather dull, but unbeaten 75 being the highlight. Pakistan never really looked as fluent as they could be, with Kiwi bowler Ian Butler taking an impressive 4-44 to keep Pakistan’s innings to a moderate 233.

This sets up the clash between Australia and New Zealand in Monday’s final, and there is no surprise who the favourites will be. Australia, the defending champions, will definitely start as strong favourites to retain the title, as their batting looks in consummate condition. Do the Kiwis have enough in the tank to take down the Aussies? That will be the all important question ahead of the game. In retrospect, the Kiwis, despite reaching the final, struggled to beat a hopeless England, lost to South Africa and made hard work of the run chase in the semi final. Their one all round solid performance came in their win against Sri Lanka.

The Aussies on the other hand just look dominant whenever they stride onto the pitch. They looked set to bat India out of the game, beat Pakistan comfortably if not spectacularly, and then disposed of England without so much as lifting a finger. If you are looking for some proof of dominance by Ricky Ponting’s men, then they have won 80 out of the 117 ODI meetings between the two nations.

Australia to win: 4/9 at Boylesports
New Zealand to win: 7/4 at William Hill

Betting Advice: If you are going to go with form, class and ability, then your money will be going down on the Aussies to retain the title.