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All roads lead to Lord's today

England, New Zealand vie for maiden World Cup glory


FE Sports Desk | July 14, 2019 00:00:00


The Cricket World Cup trophy on display at Lord's Cricket Ground — AP

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 began on May 30 with hosts England playing their opening match against South Africa in London. The 6-week long cricket carnival featuring the top ten teams will end today (Sunday).

A total of 45 matches were played in the league stage, with each team playing a total of nine matches. The first semi-final was held in Manchester on July 9.

The 12th edition of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup was hosted by England and Wales. The fifth time England and Wales have hosted the World Cup. The final will be played at Lord's today (Sunday), contested by England and New Zealand.

The Home of the gentleman's game, there are a few cricket grounds in the world as iconic as The Lord's.

The Lord's Cricket Ground was first opened in 1814 and has been the home to international cricket since 1884. The Lord's has also hosted a total of 10 ICC Cricket World Cup fixtures, including the finals of the 1975, 1979, 1983 and 1999 editions.

It took the World Cup 2019 hosts 27 years to reach the final of the marquee tournament and they would known there's no better chance then winning the title in front of their home fans and familiar conditions.

For New Zealand, who have shown they can defy odds, it will be another test of nerves and character after registering a morale boosting win over 2011 World Champions India in the semi-final.

The challenge for England is to embrace the hype surrounding Sunday's fixture without letting it inhibit them from playing their brand of "fearless" cricket.

By reaching the final, England have guaranteed an international match will be shown live on free-to-air television in Britain for the first time since the iconic 2005 Ashes series -- a chance to inspire a new generation.

It is perhaps appropriate that England are facing New Zealand in a final between two sides who have yet to win the World Cup.

For it was the Black Caps who showed England how to play the modern one-day game at the 2015 edition in Wellington four years ago.

They shot out England for just 123 and then overhauled that total in a mere 12.2 overs.

England gained a measure of revenge with a 119-run thrashing of New Zealand in a group-stage match earlier in this World Cup.

All tournament long, the same comment has been made about New Zealand -- they boast a well-balanced attack led by left-arm quick Trent Boult but are over-reliant on captain Kane Williamson and fellow senior batsman Ross Taylor for their runs. While many members of the home side were not even born when England made the last of three losing appearances in a World Cup final in 1992, the Black Caps have the experience of their heavy defeat by co-hosts Australia in the climax of the 2015 edition in Melbourne to call on.

If England beat New Zealand in the summit clash, then they will become the third nation after India and Australia to lift the trophy on home soil. India was the first team to achieve the feat in 2011 while Australia replicated it in 2015.

The 2011 edition belonged to the co-hosts - India and Sri Lanka - with both making the finals. 2015 World Cup final also saw two host nations bidding for the title. Trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand and Australia saw off South Africa and India respectively in the semis.

According to ICC, the weather on Sunday is expected to be dry, with low clouds gradually clearing to give some sunny spells in afternoon and evening.

Squad: New Zealand: Kane Williamson (c), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham (wk), Tom Blundell (wk), Mitchell Santner, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Colin Munro, Ish Sodhi, Henry Nicholls, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Jimmy Neesham

England: Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wk), Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood


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