AUS vs NZ, T20 World Cup 2021: Ever-consistent New Zealand Look For 2nd World Title Vs Trans-Tasman Rival Australia

Two years after an obscure tiebreaker cost Kane Williamson바카라�s squad the 50-over Cricket World Cup, New Zealand is lining up for a third straight International Cricket Council tournament final.  (More Cricket News) 

New Zealand have already won a major trophy in the sport바카라�s longest format this year and they are aiming to add one in the shortest when they take on Australia in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup final in Dubai, UAE on Sunday.

The Kiwis have never won a title in one of the ICC바카라�s white-ball World Cups, but have been closer than any runner-up ever. And that바카라�s been the motivation. Playing trans-Tasman rival Australia adds some spice to the occasion.

In 2019, New Zealand and England met at Lord바카라�s in the final of the 50-over World Cup. Neither team had ever won the trophy. The final finished in an unprecedented tie, and the outcome couldn바카라�t be decided after a tiebreaker 바카라� a so-called Super Over. So England was awarded the title by the barest of margins, on boundary count to be very precise. 

Williamson바카라�s squad may not have taken home the World Cup, but they won plenty of accolades for the manner in which they accepted the umpire바카라�s decision 바카라� heartbreaking as it was.

So when it came to the inaugural World Test Championship final in England in June, New Zealand had all the composure it needed to beat India.

Along the way to the final here, the Black Caps ensured India couldn바카라�t reach the knockout round and then beat England in the semifinals, thanks to Daryl Mitchell바카라�s robust unbeaten half century and the late power-hitting of Jimmy Neesham.

The story doesn바카라�t end there for Neesham.

바카라�You don바카라�t come halfway around the world just to win a semifinal,바카라� Jimmy Neesham said.

바카라�I바카라�m personally, and we as a team, are not getting ahead of ourselves. One game to go and I바카라�m sure there will be a bigger outpouring of emotion if we manage to get across the line.바카라�

Jimmy Neesham was pictured in a dugout, seating emotionless, as his teammates celebrated the victory against England the moment Daryl Mitchell hit Chris Woakes for a winning boundary.

Daryl Mitchell바카라�s elevation as an opening batter in the tournament has paid dividends, but New Zealand will miss key middle-order batsman Devon Conway in the final after the wicketkeeper-batsman broke his right arm after punching his bat in anger when he was dismissed in the semifinal.

Both New Zealand and Australia finished runner-up in their groups during the Super 12s stage before upstaging the group winners in the semifinals. The margin of victories had so many things common 바카라� victories by margins of five wickets and both chasing down tough targets with an over to spare.

Australia also left it late before overcoming Pakistan in the semifinals, with Matthew Wade hitting one of the tournament바카라�s most impressive pace bowlers 바카라� Shaheen Shah Afridi 바카라� for three successive sixes in the penultimate over.

David Warner바카라�s consistent performance at the top of the order has provided Australia some meaningful starts on the slow wickets as the left-hander has scored 236 runs at an average of 47.20.

Warner바카라�s 49 in the semifinal set up the tone of strong chase. But his knock ended in a controversial style when he was adjudged to be caught behind off legspinner Shadab Khan despite television replays suggesting otherwise.

While Australia바카라�s three-pronged pace attack could challenge the Black Caps, it바카라�s legspinner Adam Zampa who leads the team in this tournament for most wickets. His 12 so far put Zampa second only to Sri Lanka바카라�s Wanindu Hasaranga, who had 16 dismissals.

The toss had been a dominant factor in the eventual results in Dubai with 11 out of 12 games going in favor of teams chasing the targets. New Zealand is the only team which has successfully defended a total at the venue, posting 172 before restricting Scotland바카라�s reply to 156.

Whether a team chase down or the target gets defended, Sunday will see a new T20 World Cup champion. Five countries 바카라� India (2007), Pakistan (2009), England (2010), West Indies (2012 and 2016) and Sri Lanka (2014) 바카라� have been the past winners.

Australia reached the final in 2010 before losing by seven wickets to England in Bridgetown, Barbados.

A regular World Cup winner in one-day cricket, there바카라�s been intense pressure on the Australian team to succeed in the T20 format. The Australians were ranked No. 1 before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down global sport in 2020, forcing the T20 World Cup in Australia to be rescheduled to 2022.

After international cricket resumed, Aaron Finch바카라�s injury-depleted Australian squads slumped to series losses in New Zealand, West Indies and Bangladesh. Now that the star players are back and so many other players have had international experience, things having started clicking into place.

바카라�It has been a really important part of the growth of not just this team, but the depth of T20 cricket in Australia,바카라� Finch said.