Background
Australia and New Zealand were two teams that were potential top 4 teams before the start of the CWC and have started to get into the rhythm, especially Australia- who lost their first 2 matches and now hold a record of 3 consecutive wins on the trot. On the other hand, New Zealand has won 4 out of 5 matches in the CWC.
Australia has got their combination right but they have to get one thing sorted- where does Travis Head fit in the team? He has been the X-Factor for them before the CWC, winning Australia the WTC final on his own and has a fantastic one-day record this year. His return will make Aussies more dangerous.
New Zealand will look to exploit the Dharamshala conditions as it is a day match. We might witness a 2015-like World Cup encounter this time. Boult from New Zealand and Starc from Australia.
Team Preview
Australia- will start the match as a slight favourite because of their overall World Cup record and legacy, plus they are back in the tournament. Meanwhile if you dig into New Zealand’s campaign, you will find out that after 1st match win vs England, they have won vs Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Netherlands- all comparatively weaker teams as per rankings and past record, with no disrespect. Steven Smith was back among the runs vs Netherlands as he made a 72 against them and David Warner is back to his original CWC form as he is currently the 3rd highest run scorer with two Centuries to his name. Mitchell Starc will look to perform like he does in CWC with a bag of wickets.
New Zealand- the Dark horses of the tournament. Are overall well equipped and placed in the tournament with 8 points under their belt. They will look to win at least 2 matches from here to seal the spot as their run rate is very good. Daryl Mitchell and Conway will be gun batters that NZ will rely upon along with Trent Boult, Mitchell Santner and Matt Henry to knock over the Aussie batsmen.
Overall verdict
Australia will come out on top. But not easily, with the Kiwi’s putting up and strong fight, making that 4 in a row for the Aussies and further reinforcing our position in the top 4 leading into the semi-finals.
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