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Slow start to passing with flying colours: A look at Australia's road to finale in T20 World Cup
David Warner, who was going through a rough patch before the start of the T20 World Cup, hit the plug at the right moment and now with 236 runs in his kitty, the 35-year-old stands as Australia's leading run-getter of the tournament.
After living up to the reputation of being one of the most formidable units in ICC events, five-time World Champion Australia will now look to secure their maiden T20 crown when they face New Zealand in the finals in Dubai on Sunday, what promises to be a captivating contest.
Opener batter David Warner, who was going through a rough patch before the start of the tournament, hit the plug at the right moment and now with 236 runs in his kitty, the 35-year-old stands as Australia's leading run-getter of the tournament. In the bowling front, Adam Zampa has delivered the team with most scalps (12), maintaining an impressive average of 10.92.
T20 World Cup: A look at New Zealand's road to the final
Ahead of the grand finale, let's take a look at Australia's road to the final:
Despite finishing with equal points as that of South Africa after the Super 12 stage, Aaron Finch and co made the final four cut owing to their better Net Run Rate (NRR) as compared to the Proteas.
Slow start
The Aussies got their campaign underway against Temba Bavuma's South Africa, and as one would have expected Finch's side to dictate the proceedings but that was not the case. Led by Josh Hazlewood, Australia's premier seamer, the team did manage to restrict South Africa for a paltry 118/9 in 20 overs but failed to secure a convincing win. The match went right until the final over as Marcus Stoinis' 24* off 16 helped them chase down the total with just two balls to spare.
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In the following contest against Sri Lanka, the team secured a handsome seven-wicket win with Warner leading the charge with a match defining knock of 65 off 42 balls.
Stumble
After securing consecutive wins, Australia faced one of their biggest challenge in the Super 12 stage and the team failed to produce any match to their opponent. The team were bundled for 125 and it took England just 11.4 overs to wrap up the run-chase.
Turnaround
In order to keep their semi-final hopes alive, especially after a dismal show against England, Finch's men had to show remarkable improvement and they did the same. The team then went to register decisive eight-wicket wins against Bangladesh and defending champions West Indies, giving fans an indication that this Aussie side means business.
Passing the biggest challenge with flying colours
The Australian unit then kept their winning momentum intact in a contest where one anticipated the Aussie batting prowess to be blown away by the impressive Pakistan pace battery. The semi-final contest, which saw Australia emerge victorious with flying colours, saw some smart bowling by Zampa as Pakistan imposed a stiff 177-run target for their opponent.
However, Warner continued to make an impact in the tournament and later wicketkeeper-batter Matthew Wade and Stoinis combined to hand Australia an impressive five-wicket win over a dominant Pakistan unit led by star player Babar Azam.
The finals between Australia and New Zealand will be played in the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday evening.
