New Zealand Vs Australia Highlights, T20 World Cup 2021 Final: AUS win by 8 wickets to lift maiden T20 World Cup title

vs Glenn Maxwell- 2 innings, 1 run, 4 balls, 2 dismissals

vs Adam Zampa- 5 innings, 26 runs, 20 balls, 1 dismissal

vs Ashton Agar- 4 innings, 20 runs, 14 runs, 1 dismissal

vs Daniel Sams- 2 innings, 13 runs, 12 balls, 1 dismissal

vs Kane Richardson- 4 innings, 12 runs, 16 balls, 1 dismissal

Hope you guys are enjoying the build-up. We are just 40 minutes away from the toss. Now, let's look at the player battles. These numbers are some of my favorites bits while analyzing a head-to-head battle.

Daryl Mitchell- Expected to join Jimmy Neesham in the finisher's role, the 30-year-old was asked to open in the warm-ups place of Tim Seifert, who was late in joining the bubble and later incurred an injury. And the rest turned out to be an incredible story. In 116 T20s, Mitchell has never opened for any side, yet six innings later, he has amassed 197 runs at 39.40, with a strike rate of 140.71, which includes the unbeaten 47-ball 72 he smashed against England in the semis.

Tim Southee- Did you know that Southee did make the playing XI even once in the last T20 World Cup? He was also dropped after just two games in the 2014 edition. But nine years after his last and only successful T20 World Cup return, Southee has become one of the most crucial players in the New Zealand team. He has picked at least a wicket in each of the six games and conceded at only 5.75 runs per over, despite bowling the majority of his overs (14 out of 24) in the powerplay.

Adam Zampa- If it has been Warner with the bat for the Aussies, it has been Zampa with the ball. He is presently the second-highest wicket-taker in the competition with 12 wickets at just 10.92, which includes a five-wicket haul as well. On Sunday, he will be a key bowler for Australia, especially against the New Zealand captain whom he has dismissed twice in T20s.

David Warner- As unusual as it sounds, Warner, one of the most consistent performers in the Indian Premier League (IPL), had a forgettable 2021 season where he struggled to find form and was also dropped from captaincy. In the second leg of the season, he played only two matches, a rare golden duck in his first and 2 off 3 in the second. His form was a major concern for Australia. But Warner in the Aussie uniform transformed into a different beast altogether, scoring 236 runs at 47.2, with a strike rate of 148.4, laced with two fifties.

1) Adam Zampa- 9 wickets

2) Jasprit Bumrah- 6 wickets

3) Ravindra Jadeja- 6 wickets

1) Babar Azam- 158 runs

2) Mohammad Rizwan- 154 runs

3) David Warner - 133 runs

1) Trent Boult- 11 wickets in 6 matches

2) Ish Sodhi- 9 wickets in 6 matches

3) Tim Southee- 8 wickets in 6 matches

1) Adam Zampa- 12 wickets in 6 matches

2) Mitchell Starc- 9 wickets in 6 matches

3) Josh Hazlewood- 8 wickets in 6 matches

1) Daryl Mitchell - 197 runs in 6 matches

2) Martin Guptill- 180 runs in 6 matches

3) Kane Williamson - 131 runs in 6 matches

1) David Warner- 236 runs in 6 matches

2) Aaron Finch - 130 runs in 6 matches

3) Mitchell Marsh - 108 runs in 6 matches

1) Tim Southee- 107 wickets in 89 matches

2) Ish Sodhi- 82 wickets in 63 matches

3) Mitchell Santner- 62 wickets in 58 matches

1) Adam Zampa- 64 wickets in 56 matches

2) Mitchell Starc- 60 wickets in 47 wickets

3) Shane Watson- 48 wickets in 58 matches

We all know how big a role the toss plays in Dubai. Who are you backing to win the toss? We could know the result even before one ball is bowled

1) Martin Guptill - 3119 runs in 108 matches

2) Brendon McCullum - 2140 runs in 71 matches

3) Kane Williamson - 1936 runs in 73 matches

1) Aaron Finch - 2603 runs in 82 matches

2) David Warner- 2501 runs in 87 matches

3) Glenn Maxwell- 1816 runs in 78 matches

Now, let’s take a look at how the players from both countries have performed in T20Is and who top the charts

Kane Williamson needs 66 more runs to complete 2000 T20I runs. But in 2021 Kane hasn’t been among runs in 11 innings he has scored 213 runs at an average of 23.66. His strike rate of 103.39 this year is the worst in any calendar year in T20Is so far. In this T20 world Cup, his strike rate has gone further down to 94.24, and scored 131 runs in 6 innings. Against Australia, he has played 9 innings and has scored 124 runs at 13.77 and a strike rate of 104.20. Only once he has scored 30 plus runs and went on to score a fifty which came in earlier this year. 6 times in 9 innings against Australia Williamson has been dismissed in single-digit scores. In this tournament so far, he has scored 131 runs with two 30 plus scores in successful chases, and with Conway, another inform batsman out of the Final, onus of the New Zealand’s batting lineup rest on Williamson's shoulders and could get the best out of him on the day of the final.

Australian skipper is 25 runs away from completing 10000 T20 runs, he will be the 6th batsman to reach this landmark in T20s after Chris Gayle (14321), Kieron Pollard (11326), Shoaib Malik (11133), David Warner (10255), and Virat Kohli (10204). Finch was the leading run-getter for Australia in the T20I series against New Zealand earlier in this year with 197 runs at an average of 49.25 and a strike rate of 134.01. His last three scores are as follows (latest first): 36, 79, and 69. Overall he has scored 251 runs against New Zealand which is the most by an Australian batsman in T20Is. Further, if we look at Finch’s record in UAE, he has scored 140 runs in 11 innings at an average of 12.72 with a strike rate of 100.00. 8 times in 11 innings Finch has been dismissed in single digits scores including three ducks. All the three innings of 30 plus runs have come in this T20 World Cup

Most T20I wickets against Australia

1) Saeed Ajmal (PAK) -11 matches, 19 wickets, AVE of 14.26, Eco Rate of 6.4, SR of 13.3

2) Mohammad Amir (PAK) - 10 matches, 17 wickets, AVE of 16.16, Eco Rate of 7.71, SR of 12.5

3) Ish Sodhi (NZ)- 9 matches, 16 wickets, AVE of 15.68, Eco Rate of 7.38, SR of 12.7

4) Umar Gul (PAK)-10 matches, 16 wickets, AVE of 14.06, Eco Rate of 6.19, SR of 13.6

5) Jasprit Bumrah (INDIA)- 11 matches, 15 wickets, AVE of 20.13, Eco Rate of 7.45, SR of 16.2

 Ish Sodhi has picked 26 wickets in 2021, which is the most wickets taken by a New Zealand bowler in a calendar year. 26 wickets in 2021 accounts 31% of his T20I wickets (26/82). Sodhi had a brilliant start to 2021 by claiming a four fer (4/28) in his first innings which was against Australia. In the home series against Australia Sodhi picked 13 wickets which is the most wickets taken by a bowler in a 5-match bilateral T20I series. Sodhi has dismissed Aaron Finch and Marcus Stoinis three times each in 5 innings. Overall, he has picked 16 wickets against Australia which is joint 3rd most by a bowler in T20Is.In this T20 World Cup Sodhi has picked 9 wickets in 6 matches.

He had a rare off day in the previous game against England at Abu Dhabi where he conceded 40 runs in his 4 overs without picking a wicket. This was only the 2nd instance in 11 T20I innings where he failed to pick a wicket, Boult has 18 wickets in 2021 so far at an average of 16.61 and an economy rate of 7.00. Boult has picked 11 wickets in this tournament and is the only pacer in this tournament to pick more than 10 wickets till now If he picks one more wicket in this T20 World Cup, Boult will have the most wickets in a single edition of the T20 World Cup surpassing Daniel Vettori (11 wickets in 2007). Boult has a brilliant record at Dubai he has picked 18 wickets in 9 T20 matches since 2020 at an average of 13.50 and has a strike rate of 11.3 which includes two maiden overs as well. Against Australia Boult has picked 10 wickets in 8 T20Is which is the most wickets for him against any team in T20Is.

First time in his T20I career Daryl Mitchell has batted as an opener since the start of this T20 World Cup and now is the leading run-getter for New Zealand with 197 runs. The majority of his runs have come against the top sides in this tournament (72* vs ENG, 49 vs IND, and 27 vs PAK). He has got starts in every match in this tournament so far and most important he has got these runs at a strike rate of 140.71. Anchored the New Zealand chase in the Semi-final and registered his highest score in T20Is. He scored 43% of the total team runs in the last match against England (72/167). Brendon McCullum (212 in 2012) is the only New Zealand batsman to score more than 200 runs in a single edition of the T20 World Cup. Mitchell needs 16 more runs to surpass McCullum to have the most runs by a New Zealand batter in a single edition of the T20 World Cup.

1) Andrew Tye - 31 wickets in 2018

2) Dirk Nannes- 27 wickets in 2010

3) Adam Zampa- 25 wickets in 2021

4) Billy Stanlake- 25 wickets in 2018

5) Shaun Tait- 22 wickets in 2010