Hosts England will play New Zealand in the final of ICC men’s world cup 2019 on Sunday. England thrashed defending champions Australia in the 2nd semi-final with a huge 8 wicket win.
On the other side, the kiwis registered their place in the final after a shock win over tournament favourites India on Wednesday at lords.
Both the teams met each other in the group stages of the tournament where England prevailed with a win by 119 runs. Now both teams will be heading to London with an intention to lift the decorated cup for the 1st time.
Head to Head record
England and New Zealand have faced each other in 9 matches in ICC Cricket World Cup tournaments. Out of these 9 games, England have won 4 whereas New Zealand have come out victorious on 5 occasions. The highest total posted by England is 322 runs while highest score posted by New Zealand is 239, when these two teams have clashed with each other in WC.
Key Players
For New Zealand their strength lies in their bowling unit. The bowlers are the heroes for New Zealand side, Boult and henry made a dream start with their spells to leave India reeling at 5 for 3. Similarly this unit can become a major threat for the English side and can win the match for the black caps.
While for England the batting unit is their core strength. The opening pair of Roy and Bairstow is in Red hot form. They hit the Australian bowlers for boundaries all around the park. With their aggressive batting they can take the match away from the kiwis.
Prediction
Both the teams will be heading into the final with plenty of momentum but England ,world’s no.1 ODI side will be favourites to win the Cup, having already defeated New Zealand in their previous meeting in the group stages of the tournament.
By: Rachit Rawat