Deadline: November 10, 2019 at 6:30 AM IST
Venue: Eden Park, Auckland
Pitch Report
The average first and second innings scores at the Eden Park read 169 and 149 respectively. The highest total registered is 245 for 5 by Australia against New Zealand. You get the gist. The bowlers, as has been the case in the series, are likely to be taken to the cleaners in the final encounter.
Teams
Probable XI for New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Tim Seifert (wk), Colin de Grandhomme, Ross Taylor, Daryl Mitchell/James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee (c), Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult, Blair Tickner
Probable XI for England: Tom Banton, Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Eoin Morgan (c), Sam Billings (wk), Sam Curran, Lewis Gregory, Tom Curran, Chris Jordan, Patrick Brown, Matthew Parkinson
Fantasy Team
We have opted for a fantasy team on the basis of players’ impact, recent performances, and credit points.
You can also check players’ performances in the last 5 matches. Tap on the players’ images to get the data while making your fantasy team.
Note: You can now select 1-4 wicketkeepers, 1-6 batsmen, 1-6 all-rounders, 1-6 bowlers.
Wicketkeepers: Tim Seifert
Batsmen: Colin Munro, Dawid Malan (c), Eoin Morgan, James Vince, Ross Taylor, Martin Guptill
All-rounders: James Vince, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner (vc)
Bowlers: Chris Jordan
Preview
It is exactly the scoreline the fans wanted: 2-2. The scores in the World Cup final were drawn. The Super Over then ended in a draw. In an ideal world, the trophy would have been shared, but England won because they were ahead in the boundary count – a rule that ICC decided to scrap after they were buried under a barrage of criticism. No team deserved to lose that day.
The New Zealanders are nice people. They do not avenge their losses. However, a win in the final T20I, on Sunday, should bring joy to their fans irrespective of their nationality.
England started off with a win and then looked uncharacteristic in the next two matches. New Zealand pounced on their opposition’s lack of purpose and took a 2-1 lead. But England aren’t a side that will give in easily. They posted a total so colossal that New Zealand couldn’t even get close to it. But New Zealand aren’t a side that will let England off the hook. To put everything into perspective, expect a humdinger of a final.
Players To Watch Out For
Dawid Malan‘s contributions in the second and third match went in vain. In the fourth match, he took it to the next level. He blasted an unbeaten 103 off 51, propelling England to 241 for 4.
Mitchell Santner has been exceptional with his finger spin. He is the highest wicket-taker of the series, and more importantly, he has managed an economy of 7.5 in the smaller grounds of New Zealand.
For England, Chris Jordan has been the wrecker-in-chief with the ball despite playing a match fewer than his fellow bowlers.
Ross Taylor has not been at his lethal best, but he has at least managed to hold the innings together. He has scored 113 runs with a strike rate of 121.5.
When Eoin Morgan gets going, he deals in sixes. In his 91-run knock on Friday, he smote as many as 7 sixes. England will need a repeat of the innings on Sunday.
Match Prediction
When top-quality teams lock horns in finals, predictions are difficult to make. May the best team win!
Squads
New Zealand: Tim Southee (c), Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Scott Kuggeleijn, Daryl Mitchell, Colin Munro, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Ross Taylor, Blair Tickner
England: Eoin Morgan (c), Jonny Bairstow (wk), Tom Banton, Sam Billings, Pat Brown, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Lewis Gregory, Chris Jordan, Saqib Mahmood, Dawid Malan, Matt Parkinson, Adil Rashid, James Vince