Dubai: Australia won the toss on Sunday and elected to field against New Zealand here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in the ICC T20 World Cup final match.
Considering how both Australia and New Zealand won their respective semifinals against fancied opponents, one can expect another dramatic finish at the "Ring of Fire".
Australia, who have won a record five World Cup titles in 50-over cricket, have surprisingly not got their hands on the T20 showpiece.
New Zealand, on the other hand, have always been consistent in ICC events but now seem to have the self-belief of going all way under Kane Williamson's astute leadership.
It will be their first T20 World Cup final and if they do end up winning it, it will be a remarkable achievement for a country of five million which keeps churning out world-class players.
At the toss, Aussie skipper Aaron Finch said, "We'll have a bowl. Looks a little bit dry but I don't think it will change. It might skid with the new ball. We're playing the same team. The way we hung in the contest and take it deep was crucial for us. Zampa has been superb for a while in the shortest format, and hopefully that will continue. It is a new format, a new team and our record over NZ doesn't matter at all.
On the other hand, New Zealand captain Kane Williamson said, "We would have fielded as well. It looks like a reasonable wicket and who knows about the dew. Just trying to get a competitive total. We have one obvious change: Conway is out and Seifert is in. It is a shame that he misses but as a team we have to move on and focus on the challenge at hand. Mitch Santner is a world-class operator and it didn't quite work out in the match the other night. We don't want to look too far ahead and we just need to make a few small adjustments."
Teams:
New Zealand (Playing XI): Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Kane Williamson(c), Tim Seifert(w), Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult.
Australia (Playing XI): David Warner, Aaron Finch(c), Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade(w), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood.
