NZ vs ENG: A guide to watching World Cup Final
What's the story
The stage is set for a cracking contest as hosts England lock horns with New Zealand in the ICC World Cup final at Lord's on Sunday. Both the teams are eyeing their maiden World Cup title. Notably, England enter the tie as clear favorites with both momentum and home advantage to their side. Here we present a guide to watching World Cup final.
England's journey
England have produced dominating performance
Before the World Cup started, England were the title favorites. And, The Three Lions have lived up to the expectations. They got off to a prolific start, winning three out of four opening matches. However, when opener Jason Roy got injured, things looked shaky as they lost two consecutive matches. Interestingly, they scripted a remarkable turnaround, finishing third on the table with six wins.
Information
England destroyed Australia in the semis
In the second semi-final of the tournament, England completely destroyed Australia, winning the match by eight wickets. Australia lost a World Cup semi-final, for the first time in their history, as England reached their fourth final. Momentum is clearly with England when they enter Lord's.
Kiwi's road
Kiwis 'huff and puff' into the semis
As for New Zealand, they too got off to a terrific start, remaining unbeaten in the opening six matches, before losing the last three games. Enjoying a better NRR than Pakistan, they 'huffed and puffed' their way into the semis, where they delivered the bowling performance of the tournament. Trent Boult and Co. destroyed Indian batting order as Kiwis reached their second consecutive final.
Head-to-head
Last tie saw England thrashing Kiwis by 119 runs
On nine occasions, these teams have met in World Cup across editions, and New Zealand have managed to win five matches, while England have pocketed four. Overall, there have been 90 ODI clashes between them, with the Kiwis leading the race again with 43 wins, while England have 41 victories. However, the last tie saw the hosts annihilating New Zealand by 119 runs.
Predicted XI
Predicted Playing XI and Dream11 for this tie
England: Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (captain), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (wicket-keeper), Chris Woakes, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood. New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Henry Nicholls, Kane Williamson (captain), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham (wicket-keeper), James Neesham, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson. Dream11: Roy, Bairstow, Williamson, Root, Taylor, Latham, Santner, Rashid, Archer, Woakes, Boult.
Rules
Rain, tie and some key rules
As per the forecast, we are set to witness a dry and sunny day. This would help England as they have a batting dominate XI. However, in case rain plays a spoilsport, July 15 is a reserve day and the match can start from where it gets interrupted. Interestingly, if it ends in a tie, Super Over would be used to produce a result.
Match details
When, where and how to watch?
Match: New Zealand vs England Venue: Lord's, London Time: 3:00 PM IST Where to watch (TV): Star Sports 1, 2, Select 1 and other regional languages channels of Star Sports. Where to watch (Online): Hotstar.