Welcome to the LIVE coverage of the T20 World Cup 2021 FINAL between Australia and New Zealand. This is Lalith Kalidas, bringing you all the action as it unfolds at the Dubai International Stadium.

6-30PM IST: No better time than stealing the show and finding form in the night of a final. Can Kane pull it off tonight?

Captain Kane is here.   –  Getty Images

6-26PM IST: Nearly 30 minutes away from the toss. The Kiwis will have their concerns about a shaky batting order that has had their skipper playing below par while Devon Conway has been ruled due to a freakish injury. Tim Seifert is all but certain to take his spot but the BlackCaps cannot afford to lose its top-order in a haste tonight.

6-12PM IST: Slight tremors have been reported in Dubai, two hours before the final begins. UAE Met Office reports that the tremors were aftershocks from an earthquake in southern Iran.

5-48PM IST: Watto definitely knows a thing or two about tournament finals. However, it wasn’t a favourable outing for him back then in the 2010 final. In fact, only two players from that final – Warner and Smith – are playing tonight.

5-42PM IST: Will the bowlers call the shots tonight? Left-arm vs left-arm; Leg-spin vs leg-spin

Most Wickets (NZ, AUS in T20 WC 2021): Adam Zampa – 12, Trent Boult – 11, Ish Sodhi – 9, Mitchell Starc – 9

5-35PM IST: How would it feel to boss the extreme formats of the game?

5-30PM IST: 17 knockout matches. 16 in favour of Australia! The Kiwis’ kryptonite on the big stages have also been their mighty neighbour. Will this be the night where Williamson and Co. end the jinx? Remember, they are also 5-0 down in ICC knockout games.

5-24PM IST: Updates suggest that the final will be played on the same strip that was used in the IPL 2021 final – the only instance where the team batting first (CSK) won the game in Dubai over the last 17 occasions!

5-20PM IST: We’re nearly there..!

5-00PM IST: Key Numbers

4-30PM IST: Here’s what the captains had to say before the big night

Kane Williamson: Not too many advantages to either side except that we do play each other and have done so recently on a number of occasions, and had some really good contests. It’s great that we’re playing our neighbor from the other side of the world in a World Cup final, and it’s a really exciting prospect for both teams.

Aaron Finch: Everyone had written us off but we had a lot of confidence within. We’re really confident in the way that we were preparing, the way that our strategy was coming together. I think it hasn’t defied expectations. I think we came here with a really clear plan to win the tournament, and we still feel as though we’ve got the squad to do that.

Head to Head stats

3-45PM IST: It’s been quite a journey for the Kiwis and it all began under this man. Can Kane’s boys break the knockout jinx tonight?

MATCH PREVIEW

Not many would have predicted when the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup began, the trans-Tasman rivalry would set the Ring of Fire alight and a new T20 World champion would emerge.

New Zealand has forged such a strong campaign that you would think it is the favourite in the final. However, Australia has earned a reputation, over the years, of knowing how to win the big moments.

Trend continues

At the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, teams chasing have won more than those forced to bat first. In the early part of the tournament, dew played a major role. However, as the weather has changed there is less dew, but the trend has somehow remained the same.

The two semifinals are a case in point. Despite facing stiff targets, both New Zealand and Australia got across the line with an over to spare against quality bowling attacks.

It can be argued that England did not have enough specialist death bowler options and that Shaheen Shah Afridi, while lethal with the swinging white ball, is a bit of a novice at the death, but this ignores the quality of batting that helped the teams win.

READ:
Maxwell-vs-spinners the key battle in the T20 World Cup final – Scott Styris

Mitchell in good nick

Daryl Mitchell, being used as an opener in this tournament, looked like he could not get the ball away or into the gaps early in his innings, but he backed himself, took the game deep and then secured victory for the Kiwis with a flourish.

For Australia, Matthew Wade emerged the most unlikely hero. Aaron Finch was nailed in front before he could get going and David Warner, who was the powerhouse of the innings, went before he could seal the issue.

Wade, considered a specialist who could make the most of the PowerPlay overs, was now in an unfamiliar role, attempting to be a finisher. And when he was called upon to deliver, he stood tall.

In that sense, both New Zealand and Australia enter the final knowing that they have players with variety and depth to go the distance.

For New Zealand, the strength is the different types of bowlers in its line-up. Trent Boult bowls left-arm seam with early swing; Tim Southee is an expert in cutters; Adam Milne brings pace and fire; Mitchell Santner bowls difficult to get away slow left-arm and Ish Sodhi’s leg-breaks are genuine wicket-taking options.

Neesham can chip in

To top these, James Neesham can bowl a hard line, banging the ball in, giving Kane Williamson the luxury of using his bowlers however he chooses to.

Australia appears to be a top-heavy batting line-up, with Finch and Warner being the building blocks. Glenn Maxwell is yet to play a signature innings that he is known for.

Adam Zampa has given Finch control, but Mitchell Starc has not yet produced one of those bursts that knocks the wind out of the opposition. Despite the two big guns having not really fired, Australia has reached the final.

The Kangaroos are yet to play their best cricket. If the moving parts click into place and come together in the final, it may just be too good for New Zealand.

– Amol Karhadkar

WHERE TO WATCH T20 WORLD CUP 2021 FINAL NZ vs AUS LIVE?

The New Zealand vs Australia match will be aired LIVE on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 HD, Star Sports 1 Hindi, Star Sports 1 Hindi HD, Star Sports 1 Tamil, Star Sports 1 Telugu and Star Sports 1 Kannada from 7-30PM IST. The match will also be live streamed on Hotstar.