Match Preview: World T20 Final - Australia vs England

Match Preview: Final - Australia vs England - Match 23



Date: 24 November, 2018



Venue: Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, Antigua



Crickets oldest and fiercest foes, Australia and England, are set to lock horns in the final of the World T20. Their journey to the final has been a similar one, with both teams finishing second in the group stages, losing only to the table-toppers of their respective pools. After losing their last group stage matches though, both sides bounced back to register comprehensive wins over their opponents. Australia defeated defending champions and hosts West Indies by 71 runs, while England triumphed over India by eight wickets.



Australia, the number one ranked T20 side in the world, will be eager to win the trophy to go with the title. Especially after their semi-final exit in the World Cup, they will want to take home the silverware to prove they are in fact, the best in the world. England though, will be just as determined to add the World T20 trophy to the World Cup one that is already in their trophy case. They will want to establish their overall dominance in both formats of the game and send the strong message that they are the team to beat.



With such fierce contention for the trophy, the final is shaping up to be an exciting one. Not just because of the rivalry between these two sides, or their steely determination to go for glory, but also because they have faced quite a bit of each other lately, and the results suggest the winner could be either of the two. England won the T20 leg of the Ashes series against Australia, on Australian soil. The Southern Stars then retaliated by winning the tri-series between these two sides and India. But that is just half the story. In these matches, centuries were made, record run chases were completed and some quite impossible miracles were pulled of. If those series' were a prelude to how the final will unfold, we are in for an absolutely spectacular match.



 



Players to Watch Out for:



Alyssa Healy (Australia)



Healy has been a regular in the 'Players to Watch Out for' feature, but with the form she is in, it is difficult to look past her. She has been in career best touch, winning four Player of the Match awards. When she has batted in the WT20, her score has been above 40 runs and she currently the highest run scorer in the tournament. She is showing no signs of stopping and that makes her a big threat to England in the finals.



Natalie Sciver (England)



In the absence of England's experienced pace bowler Katherine Brunt, Sciver has filled her big shoes well. She has impressed with the ball and in the semi-final, did so with the bat too, scoring a half-century. Considering the pitch in Antigua is a difficult one to adapt to, the fact that she has already found form on it will worry the Australians. They will remember how it was Sciver's career best score of 68* that helped England to a win against them in the tri-series and will try to take her wicket as early as possible.



 



Numbers to Watch Out for:

• Australian star all-rounder Ellyse Perry is just one wicket away from claiming 100 T20 scalps. If she does take the wicket, she will become just the second player to have 100 T20 wickets to their name.



• Alyssa Healy is 85 runs short of reaching the milestone of 1,500 runs. While that may seem like quite a few runs for one T20 innings, given the form that Healy has been in, a big innings does not seem too far.



• Natalie Sciver is 52 runs away from reaching 1,000 T20 runs.



• If Heather Knight bowls, she will be on a hat-trick off the first ball she bowls.

 



Who Said What:



"It's probably not been the smoothest ride to get to the final, but the main thing is we're here and we've got another opportunity to have a shot at winning a global trophy again and what an achievement it would be, how special it would be, if we could be double white-ball champions." - Heather Knight



"Coming up against England, they're great rivals of ours. We play them a lot and really respect them as a team. Hopefully, it's a great game, but we can come out on top." - Meg Lanning





 



Conditions:



The conditions in Antigua are expected to remain similar to those in the semi-finals. So, the pitch will be slow and suitable for spin. However, groundsmen have commented that the ball may not turn as much.



 



Probable XI:



England: Tammy Beaumont, Danni Wyatt, Amy Jones (wk), Natalie Sciver,Heather Knight (c), Lauren Winfield, Sophia Dunkley, Anya Shrubsole, Danielle Hazell, Kirstie Gordon, Sophie Ecclestone



Australia: Alyssa Healy (wk), Beth Mooney, Ashleigh Gardner, Meg Lanning (c), Elyse Villani, Rachael Haynes, Ellyse Perry, Sophie Molineux, Delissa Kimmince, Georgia Wareham, Megan Schutt