By registering the biggest victory in the World Cup, the Australians have sent a message to the other teams that they are back. The most important gain for them is the return to century-making form of David Warner. Two back-to-back hundreds means that the seasoned left-hander has returned to his best and is peaking at the right time.
The other box that was ticked in the massive win against the Netherlands was the skipper Pat Cummins also bowling quick and sharp and thus adding edge to their bowling. Adam Zampa has now taken four wickets in a match three consecutive times which does, to a great extent, relieve the pressure of what to do in the middle overs.
Glen Maxwell’s sizzling century, the fastest ever in World Cup history, almost set the Arun Jaitley Stadium on fire and with Steve Smith also getting a quickfire half-century, the Aussies are looking their best now. Whether Travis Head is fit to play is not known but he will not only bring the left-handed option in the middle order, but also come in handy for a few overs of off-spin.
New Zealand have started the tournament well and till they met India, they looked very good. After the loss to the hosts, they will need to pick themselves up quickly and get back to winning ways. Their batting is looking good with a century from Daryl Mitchell and young Rachin Ravindra, a superstar in the making.
To shake the Aussies, Trent Boult needs to take early wickets for Mitchell Santner to tie them up in the middle-overs. They also will be sweating on the fitness of Tim Southee and Kane Williamson, for these two stalwarts have been the strength of the New Zealanders for a long time now.
Though not as fierce as the India-Pakistan or Afghanistan-Pakistan rivalry, the Trans-Tasman neighbours hate to lose to each other in any sport. The Aussies hold a slight edge with their recent run but the Kiwis always spring a surprise, so we could be in for a real thriller of a game in Dharamshala.
(Professional Management Group)
