Champions Trophy Final | Forget India, it’s New Zealand who might make use of the Dubai advantage
Since the start of the Champions Trophy, India has been the team in focus, mainly because they are the only side to have played all their matches at the same venue the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The discussions have centred around how India has stacked their lineup with spinners to take advantage of the slow and low pitches at the DISC.
Before the final, India is being deemed the favourites, as they have won four consecutive matches in Dubai. But amid all the hullabaloo regarding India gaining all the advantages, New Zealand will be looking to come out on top on Super Sunday. The possibilities may be slim, but they are not non-existent by any stretch of the imagination.
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New Zealand is the only team apart from India to have played in Dubai in the ongoing tournament. Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Australia didn’t get enough opportunities to acclimatise to the conditions in Dubai, which are vastly different from those in Karachi, Rawalpindi, and Lahore.
While teams were comfortably scoring above 300 in Pakistan, scores above 250 have been challenging to chase down in Dubai. However, having already played in Dubai once, the Black Caps have first-hand experience of how the pitch might behave in the summit clash.
No lack of resources
Before the Champions Trophy, New Zealand formed a well-balanced bowling attack with an equal mix of fast bowlers and spinners. Matt Henry and William O’Rourke added strength to the Kiwi pace battery. Henry, the tournament’s top wicket-taker, has been a key reason why the Black Caps are already through to the final.
In Dubai, however, quality spin bowling is likely to dominate. New Zealand boasts Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell as specialist spinners, both more than capable of keeping the batters in check. In their match against Bangladesh, Bracewell bowled 10 consecutive overs and dismantled the opposition with four wickets.
Glenn Phillips has repeatedly shown that he’s more than just a part-timer. Since he began bowling regularly during the 2023 ODI World Cup in India, Phillips has emerged as a reliable bowler, taking 53 wickets. Rachin Ravindra can also trouble right-handers. Overall, New Zealand’s spin-bowling arsenal is in excellent shape.
Jaffer cautions India
Former Indian batter Wasim Jaffer stated that India wouldn’t have it as easy as they did in their previous encounter with New Zealand. While India had beaten the Kiwis by 44 runs in Dubai, Jaffer emphasised that Santner’s side would be better prepared for the summit clash.
“India beat New Zealand with ease earlier in the tournament, but I don’t think it will be that easy this time. New Zealand would be a little better prepared. They will be used to the conditions as well because they have already played once in Dubai,” Jaffer said on former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali’s YouTube channel.
Jaffer said that unlike some of the other teams that lacked quality spinners in their ranks, New Zealand have enough options up their sleeves to trouble the opponents.
“They have that depth in the batting. They have bowling that would suit the conditions in Dubai. Mitchell Santner has captained and bowled really well. They also have Michael Bracewell, Glenn Phillips and Rachin Ravindra. They have a lot of options, which the other teams didn’t have,” Jaffer added.
Jaffer said that, unlike some of the other teams lacking quality spinners, New Zealand have enough options up their sleeves to trouble their opponents.
New Zealand looking to nullify Varun
When it comes to New Zealand’s batting, one threat they need to be wary of is Varun Chakravarthy. After being fast-tracked into the ODI team for the Champions Trophy, Varun has not let his team down. In fact, the 33-year-old responded with a five-wicket haul against the Black Caps in Dubai, recording impressive figures of 10-0-42-5. He would later go on to trouble the Australian batters in the semi-final as well.
Stead admitted that Chakravarthy remained a threat, but also mentioned that New Zealand were scratching their heads over how to nullify the Indian mystery spinner.
“We certainly expect him to play after getting 5/42 against us in the last game. He’s a class bowler, and showed his skills against us last time and he’s a big threat in the game,” Stead told the reporters on Friday.
“So we’ll be putting our thinking caps on around how we nullify that and how we can still score runs against him,” he added.
New Zealand have never lost to India in the history of ICC finals, having won the 2000 Champions Trophy and the 2021 World Test Championship final. Santner and his team will be the underdogs on Sunday, but they do have the ammunition to take down the strong Indian side.
