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WTC Final Preview: Two contrasting captains with different reservations eye maiden ICC trophy

Process. Passion. Zeal. All this has boiled down to one final encounter which begins on June 18 in Southampton between India and New Zealand. The two sides will be in the final bout for the title clash of the inaugural World Test Championship. 

But before we move on, let’s just get to a small recap of things that have gone for both sides in this battle for the ultimate glory. 

India started off the quest in a decent manner with an away win against West Indies followed by some dominance on the home soil against South Africa and Bangladesh.  

All was going pretty well for Virat Kohli’s men before they received a reality check on a platter. India were on a tour to New Zealand when the then-unbeaten side was thumped 0-2 by the Kane Williamson-led team. 

It certainly took a lot of effort for the Indian team to get back on track. In a pandemic-hit World Test Championship, the Indian team toured Australia after the Covid-19 situation was brought under control. The team had a gloomy start to the proceedings. The visitors were bundled out for 36 in the first Test match and eventually lost the match to hand the Aussie side a 1-0 lead in the four-match series. 

Moreover, talismanic captain Virat Kohli had to return back for the birth of his first child. As if losing their best player wasn't enough, the side was later marred by injuries, with key players getting ruled out of the series mid-way. As tempers started to flare in the Ind vs Aus series, the visiting side was racially abused by the crowd. Despite having the option to step out of the field as a sign of protest, the team battled on, in a staunch show of their character.

BUT. Here came the 'process' that captain Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri had been talking about all these years. 

The process that had formed a team that could take a blow and still fight back. The process that instigated passion in the youngsters. The process that led to India’s 2-1 victorious triumph in the series. 

The youngsters along with the experienced lads like Chetehswar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane took up the onus on themselves and anchored India to a win on the Australian soil. 

They levelled the series in the second match, managed to draw the third and breached the fortress Gabba in the final face off to clinch the series and create history. The young guns of India had the tri-colour in their hands and were taking the lap of honour stamping their authority on the biggest stage. 

India then hosted England but once again began in a disappointing manner after they lost the first match. However, they came roaring back and thumped the English team in their next three games to clinch the series 3-1 and register a place in the final of the WTC. 

New Zealand, on the other hand, would find themselves a bit lucky. The Blackcaps were blanked 3-0 against Australia away from home but they too bounced back strongly to win the series fixtures against India, Pakistan and West Indies. 

The Australian side was a bit unlucky in this regard. They suffered a defeat at the hands of India at home while the cancellation of their tour to South Africa cost them several points. 

It was probably a brain fade moment for Australia or an extra effort to create a tactical move, but it eventually led them to bow out of the tournament. They could have still made a cut if the series between India and England would have ended in a draw. 

England had an uphill task when they came to India. They needed to beat the hosts 3-0, 4-0 or 3-1 to go through. 

Well, all said and done, it is India and New Zealand who are in the final.

Match Details 

Date – 18 June – 22 June 2021

Time: 03:00 PM IST

Venue: The Rose Bowl, Southampton

Weather Report

The ICC have decided to keep an extra day as the reserve day but the weather forecast on the first, third and fifth day of the match isn’t pleasing for cricket fans as rain is expected. 

The second day is expected to be cloudy with some possibility of rain while the fourth day seems to be the day when the match can go ahead without an interruption. Though, the weather on this day is also expected to be cloudy. 

Pitch Report

In the first place, the pitch in Southampton looks to be a green top and might favour the fast bowlers.  

Historically a pitch that supports spin bowling at the later phase of the Test match, the weather this time might just help pace and bounce. The first three days of the match can see the fast bowlers’ dominance while the last two days can have something on offer for the spinners. With the cloud cover to stay for the majority of the game, seamers can have a gala time out there in the middle. 

Toss

As Test cricket has unravelled through the competition, batting first has turned out to be a tricky choice. It is still a bold move to set the tone in the final, but batting second can be the better option here given the conditions look suited for bowling. With the cloud cover, a probable green top and all this added up with the pacer’s abilities can help the side bowling first to get rid of the pressure at an early stage of the game. 

Advantages

India: There was an era when the Indian teams used to bank upon their batting more than the bowling attack, especially the pacers. This had come as a drastic change in this Indian side, a credit that has to go to Virat Kohli, who is known to play a fiery brand of cricket. The side comprises so many quality fast bowlers that the fans and pundits were disappointed when a couple of them were left out of the final 15 for the match. 

Well, the conditions in Southampton would surely have something for the equipped Indian fast bowling unit. While Bumrah is the x-factor in any match he bowls, the experience of Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami can do wonders in these kinds of conditions. 

Especially Ishant Sharma can be the difference-maker here, given his uncanny ability to bowl to the left handers. The right-arm bowler continuously bowls across and then all of sudden gets one back into the batsman to either clean him up or get him trapped in front of the wickets. The instance of the same was witnessed during his Indian Premier League match against RCB when he dismissed Devdutt Padikkal in the same manner. 





Virat Kohli’s ‘100’ drought

The Indian skipper Virat Kohli has set his bar so high that if he is not scoring a ton, things seem a bit abnormal, like he is out of form. We have seen this during the England series that Kohli has looked pretty set during his time in the crease, but just has been unable to find a century.

But what a great opportunity has come knocking on his door to nullify this drought. 

Kohli has toured England twice. The first one was a forgettable one while the second led his name in the record books. 

But it's not just about his runs tally that makes him a world-class player but it is those little adjustments in his batting that he makes whenever he faces some issues. This was the only difference in the two England tours of his. 

Going back in time, Kohli would be remembering how his side was rattled by the New Zealand bowlers in the World Cup 2019 semi-final in England. But the flamboyant right-handed batsman is someone who would take it on. 

The 2019 memories will still be fresh in his mind and he is now expected to rub them off with a performance in this WTC final that goes in the history book. 

New Zealand: The weather conditions in Southampton perfectly favour the New Zealand bowlers especially someone like Trent Boult. Boult is one of those talented bowlers who can generate pace and can swing the ball at the same time and with five right-handed batsmen in the Indian batting ranks in top-order, he can be ruthless on any given day. 

Boult is likely to get a fair amount of swing especially because of the cloudy weather and the usage of Dukes ball and would trouble the Indian batsmen. 

The rise of Devon Conway

Those who follow the game would know how interesting Devon Conway’s journey has been and one anecdote from this ride is that how much he loves to bat. And this was very evident when Conway first got an opportunity to go out in the middle at the Lord’s and bat. 

He opened the innings for New Zealand against England and struck a double-century on debut. More than his runs, it was Conway’s precision against the stock deliveries of the bowlers. 

You can’t bowl to him at full length, he will drive you. You can’t bowl him short, he would pull you. You can’t bowl full on the legs, he would flick you for a maximum while notching up a milestone. For now, Conway is a perfect batsman who probably has answers to every. He could end up providing the perfect protection for his captain Kane Williamson who has been suffering from a lingering issue in his left elbow, something that has caused him major discomfort during his stay at the crease.

Disadvantages

India: While the Indian team looks pretty solid and stable, the opening might be an issue for them. As mentioned above, Boult can create some problems for both Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill. 

While Rohit could face trouble against the in-swinging deliveries from the left-hander, Gill’s lack of experience at the highest level is a concern. Though, the youngster showed his ability in Australia after he scored a crucial 90 odd but the conditions there were different. 

New Zealand: New Zealand captain Kane Williamson wasn’t in good touch in the only match that he played against England in the two-match series. He scored 13 & 1 in the two innings respectively. 

Moreover, Williamson’s record in England isn’t that great. In 10 innings he has 261 runs to his name and averages just above 26, surely the numbers that don’t define a player of his calibre. 

Team News

India: India announced the 15-man squad recently for the WTC final but had to leave out opener Mayank Agarwal and bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur. Apart from this, the skipper Virat also needs to take a vital decision on whether he would go ahead with two spinners and three pacers or would pick one spinner or four quick bowlers in the final XI. 

Well, looking at the first glance of the track, it seems that the track might be greener which would help the fast bowlers but on the contrary, both Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin provide the side with batting depth and have earned their place in the squad with some tremendous form over the past year.

New Zealand: New Zealand too announced the 15-man squad for the title clash and picked Ajaz Patel as the specialist spinner while Mitchell Santner along with Doug Bracewell, Rachin Ravindra, and Jacob Duffy missed the bus. "Playing in a World Cup Final is a really special occasion and I know the guys are looking forward to getting into their work here in Southampton," said Stead. 

Wicket-keeper batsman BJ Watling will be playing his last Test when he takes the field against India and as one of the very few lower order batsmen who does not have any problems in the corridor of uncertainty, he could turn out to be a handful for the Indian bowlers.

New Zealand would be looking to make the most of this final. Memories would be fresh of their loss in the 2015 and 2019 ODI World Cup, but in terms of conditions, this match could be tailor-made for them to finally clinch a trophy. They haven’t won an ICC trophy for the past 21 years now. They last won the Knockout Trophy after beating India in the final in 2000. 

Probable XI

India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (C), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma

New Zealand: Tom Latham, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson (c), Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, BJ Watling (wk), Trent Boult, Ajaz Patel, Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner

Fantasy XI

Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (C), Kane Williamson, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajaz Patel, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner, Trent Boult (VC), Jasprit Bumrah

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WTC Final: New Zealand’s road to Southampton

India’s opposition at the World Test Championship Final is going to be New Zealand. The Blackcaps were never the favourites to make it to the Final of the WTC in the face of Test supreme nations like England Australia and India. However, as they say, cricket is a game of uncertainties and it wouldn’t be wrong to say that one of the major uncertainties not just in cricket, but the entire world, called Covid-19 helped the Kiwi team. It certainly reduced Ken Williamson’s men’s tour to Bangladesh for the two-match Test series. But on the other hand, the Percentage of Points came into action as the points counting mechanism for WTC and Australia also pulled out of its tour to Bangladesh and South Africa, making the New Zealand qualification process a lot easier than expected. However, all this cannot take away from the Kiwi team the fact that they won all their home games and utilised their resources one hundred per cent to make sure they reach their ultimate destination deservingly. Now that they are in Southampton and it is just one more day before they finally appear in another ICC Final in England within two year’s time, it would be great to have look at their topsy turvy journey to the Rose Bowl in Southampton. New Zealand tour of Sri Lanka 2019 Fresh from being robbed of the elusive silverware at the World Cup 2019, not by any team or because of their own fault, but by a certain rule which has now been changed, New Zealand toured Sri Lanka in August 2019 for their first World Test championship assignment. In the first game at Galle, the Kiwis were drubbed by Dimuth Karunaratne’s troops at what is considered Sri Lanka’s fortress in matters of Test cricket as the Lankan team has lost just eight and drawn six games out of the 33 they played there since 1998. In both, the innings skipper Williamson couldn’t reach the double figures. In fact, hadn’t it been for Ross Taylor’s 86 in the first and BJ Watling’s 77 in the second innings, the story of the Kiwis might have ended sooner than it did. Karunaratne was Sri Lanka’s hero with a fourth innings century to help his team chase down 268. On other Asian tours, New Zealand might have been considered down and out after the first loss, but not on this one. The Kiwis came roaring back in the second Test at P Sara Oval in Colombo. Thanks to some inspired bowling by Tim Southee (4 wickets) and Trent Boult (3 wickets) in the first inning and an exceptional hundred by Tom Latham (154), the Kiwis were up and running. With the help of Watling’s 105, they posted 431/6 and declared their first innings. Behind 187 runs, the Lankans were hammered by all the Blackcaps attacking at the same time, getting all out for 122. Williamson’s men won the match by an innings and 65 runs and levelled the series. New Zealand tour of Australia 2019-20 After levelling the series with Sri Lanka, the Kiwis went back home and welcomed England. They defeated the gusts 1-0 in the Test series, but unfortunately, it was not a part of the WTC. Post that home victory and chuffed by it, the Kiwis travelled trans Tasmania to Australia for a three-match Test series. Apart from Neil Wagner’s bouncers making every Australian batsman duck in their own home, especially Steve Smith, there were no other positives to be gained from that series from the New Zealand team. They were brutally beaten in that series and even got Lockie Ferguson injured just ahead of the key India series at home. While they lost the first game by 296 runs in the Day/Night Test at Perth, In Melbourne they were humiliated by 247 runs. Before the final game of the series in Sydney, they had lost both Southee and Boult as well along with Ferguson. The result however didn’t change as once again a more than 200 runs defeat was handed to the Kiwi team. India tour of New Zealand 2020 However, that loss in Sydney against Tim Paine’s team was also the last loss for the Kiwi team in Test cricket. Team India toured New Zealand at a time when the Kiwi team was recovering from the brutal beating it received at the hands of their neighbours. In the hindsight, it would be called a blessing in disguise for the Kiwi team that the India Tests were held after the limited-overs matches of that tour. Having been defeated 2-3 in T20Is, with two losses coming in Super Over, the Kiwis came back in ODIs to win the series 3-0 and that actually boosted their confidence before the Test series. Also, it was during that ODI series only that Kyle Jamieson was discovered by the Kiwis as late order batsman and great swing bowler. In the first Test, the Indians were humbled by 10 wickets thanks to the scintillating display of swing bowling by Southee, Boult and Jamieson. While Southee picked nine in the game including a third innings five-wicket haul, Boult and Jamieson shared eight wickets among themselves. Batting wise, both the experienced compatriots, Williamson (89) and Taylor(44) guided the ship. India couldn’t touch the 200 mark in either of the innings. The second Test was slightly different as India scored 242 in the first innings and held New Zealand back at 235, thanks to some inspired bowling by Mohammad Shami and Jasprit Bumrah. However, in the second innings, it was the same story all over for the Indian batting as they were bundled out for with Boult and Southee taking the majority of the scalps. Jamieson for his 49 and five-wicket haul in the first innings was adjourned Man of the Match while Southee bagged Man of the Series award. It was also during this very series that Kohli’s hundred making machine got a glitch and since then it has continued till now. West Indies tour of New Zealand 2020 Having given India a test of its own medicine, welcoming West Indies for two-match Test series as the first guests post the worldwide lockdown due to Covid-19 was an easy escape for New Zealand. The first Test at Hamilton, which began on December 3 saw one of the finest innings in this entire WTC when Williamson hit a very fine double century, his third of the career. On his way to 251, there were some strokes that flew out of the bat of Williamson which could only be marvelled upon. The innings was also class apart as out of the total 519 runs that New Zealand scored, almost 50% came off the bat of Willamson. He hit 34 fours and only two sixes in the entire innings. The match was won by an innings and 134 runs by the Kiwis. For the second match of the series, Williamson opted out to be with his wife for their childbirth. Henry Nicholls decided to own that game, scoring 174 in the first innings. Once again West Indies were bundled out cheaply in the first innings in their reply to New Zealand’s 460. Even after scoring 317 in their second attempt, thanks to the fifties from Jason Holder, Joshua da Silva and John Campbell, Windies succumbed to a defeat of an innings and 12 runs. Pakistan tour of New Zealand 2020-21 New Zealand now had a defined target in mind when it welcomed Pakistan. They had to win the series 2-0 to keep their WTC Final hopes alive by all means. To achieve that, they bowled out the Pak team for 239 in the first innings in response to their own 431 of the first innings which included a Williamson hundred (129). There was resistance offred by acting skipper Mohammad Rizwan and all-rounder, Faheem Ashraf after the top order surrendered meekly, but it wasn’t as good as it should have been. In the second innings of Pakistan, Fawad Alma with his hundred tried to get things going in the favour of the guest, but eventually, it became too much to handle and in the dying minutes of the last day’s play, Mitchell Santner won it for the Blackcaps. The thrill of the first game was nowhere to be found in the second as in reply to Pakistan’s 297 in the first innings, the Kiwis mounted 659-6, once again courtesy a Kane Williamson double century, a Nicholls 150 plus score and this time around, even newbie Daryl Mitchell made good use of the opportunity to score his maiden Test hundred. Rizwan’s men were rather too meek in their reply of the total. Hardly any attempt to save the game was made with the team folding out for 186. New Zealand tour of England 2021 Having qualified for the WTC Final, New Zealand were offred more than just practice matches, they got a two-match Test series against a team of the quality of England to test all their strengths, having been away from Test cricket for more than six months. The opportunity was taken with both hands by breakaway star Devon Conway as he scored a double century on debut and that too at Lord’s to make a case for himself for entry into the Blackcaps Playing XI in the WTC Final. Having smelled victory, but not been able to get to it in the first Test, New Zealand didn’t try to overdo anything in search of victory. They rather pulled out most of their main players, making six changes in total to their previous XI for the second Test in Edgbaston. And amidst all the debate circling around Ollie Robinson and his controversial tweets, Matt Henry, stealthily took six wickets in the game to lead New Zealand to a historic series win. He was helped by Wagner and Boult in their attempt of bowling out England for 122 in the second innings. Conway was again among the runs with 80 in the first innings. Will Young too showed his class with an 83. With this series win, New Zealand also got back its number one ranking removing India from that position. The ultimate finale awaits The Kiwi team has a problem of plenty, how are they going to solve it is going to be an interesting watch. Since January 6, 2020, it would now be 528 days that the Blackcaps have gone unbeaten in Test cricket and they have played eight Tests in that period. Will the loss come in the WTC Final or will the number one ranked Test side also be crowned the Word Test Champions? All shall unfold in the next six days, if not five, starting June 18. Stay tuned to the OneCricket app and website via your phones, tablets or laptops as we bring to you all the pre-match, in-match and post-match news along with ball by ball commentary of the game in an altogether different style.

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PSL 2021 | QTG vs MS: Shan Masood, Imran Tahir and a frustrated Sarfaraz is all it took to knock Quetta out

Quetta Gladiators journey in this year’s Pakistan Super League ended as they were marauded by 110 runs by Multan Sultans in the 25th match of the PSL. This is by far the biggest defeat for any team (margin of runs) in the PSL history. Needing to win this game to stay alive in the competition, Gladiators started too slow for the liking in their chase of 184. Imran Khan and Imran Tahir were the picks of the bowlers for Sultans. The two Imrans shared five wickets in themselves with Khan picking the first two and Tahir the penultimate three. Shan Masood was the hero with the bat for Sultans. With Usman Khan and Jake Weatherlad trying to find their feet as openers in the Gladiators’ chase, Imran Khan struck twice in the fourth over to send off Weathrald and Cameron Delport. Usman Khan was run out, more by the fault of Gladiators skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed’s wrong calling than his own fault. With the required run rate mounting up, Azam Khan tried to slash one of Blessing Muzrabani’s delivery way too hard, he ended up handling an easy catch to wicketkeeper and Sultans skipper Mohammad Rizwan. In the very next over, trying to up the ante, Srarafaz played a wayward hook shot and was caught at the third man off the bowling of Sohail Tanvir. Post Sarfaraz’s wicket, it was all formalities that were completed by Tahir with his three dismissals. The entire Gladiators team were bundled out for 78, the joint second-lowest total in the competition. Srarafarz, as frustrated as he seemed in the game, was a bit toned during the post-match interview where he said, “We didn't have a lot of our foreign players available due to various reasons and it did upset our playing combination a little bit and unfortunately nothing went to plan today.” Earlier in the evening, it was all Masood with the bat as the tall left-hander demolished the Gladiators bowling, scoring a 42 ball 73, his highest individual score in PSL history. In the process, the ‘Test match specialist’ as he is known, hit four humungous sixes alongside seven glorious fours. The 31-year-old Kuwait born was adjudged Man of the Match for his performance. Johnson Charles, laying his first game for Sultans this season was also right at the money, fetching 47 off 24 balls. And even as Rizwan, Sohaib Maqsood and Rilee Rossouw, the usual power hitters failed, Multan was able to get to a winning total of 183. Reacting to the third win in a row, Rizwan said, “When there are 10 games in such a tournament, you need to catch momentum somewhere and in our team, someone or the other puts the hand up and gives us that much-needed momentum.” While Quetta are now out of the Playoff’s race they can still turn out to be a party pooper for Karachi Kings when they face them on the last day of the group stages on June 19. The Sultans would now try and climb the uphill to make sure they finish in the top two by winning their last two games, the first one of which is against Lahore Qalandars on June 18 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium.