The day has finally arrived, as hosts England will take on New Zealand for cricket’s ultimate prize in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 final at Lord’s in London today. The match is scheduled to begin at 3:30pm. As both teams search for their maiden World Cup glory, we are going to get a newly crowned world champions.
Before the 12th edition of cricket World Cup, hosts England were dubbed as the favorites to lift the cup and they reached the finals after 27 long years. However, no one expected Kiwis to fight for title till the end. This is their second World Cup final in a row, after qualifying for their first in the 2015 World Cup final against Australia.
New Zealand qualified for the final against all odds as they sensationally beat India. However, for England the qualification for the final was like a walk in the park as they rolled over the Aussies to reach the final with ease. Therefore, both teams will be full of confidence and it will be a cracking final to witness. The main confrontation in the final will be between New Zealand’s fiery pace bowling with the likes of Matt Henry, Trent Boult and Lockie Ferguson against England’s blockbuster batting lineup, consisting of Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Eoin Morgan and Joe Root. It will be a riveting battle to witness.
Meanwhile, New Zealand's batting did struggle throughout the tournament. But they were saved time and time again due to the elegant batting from skipper Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor. Now, players like Martin Guptill and Henry Nicholls, who have been out of form, need to be at their best against quality English bowling attack, with the likes of Chris Woakes, Jofra Archer and Adil Rashid.
While many players 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. For England, winning the final will mean more. Even though England is the birthplace of cricket, the popularity for the game there is falling. A World Cup triumph could revive that enthusiasm for cricket among English fans. Nevertheless, this World Cup final is all set to be a thrilling one, given that one will try to end their long awaited dream to become world’s best, while the other will try to make amends of 2015 final and lift the trophy as underdogs. Time will tell who prevails.