Out of the four possible matchups for the Final of the 2019 Cricket World Cup, an England vs New Zealand game was probably the one we were least excited about. However, after two stellar performances in the semi-finals, both the Black Caps and the Poms face off in the Final from 7.30pm on Sunday night!
We have a full preview and betting tips for the 2019 Cricket World Cup Final below!
Cricket World Cup Final Betting Tips
England vs New Zealand
Sunday, 14th of July, 7.30pm (AEST)
England
England breezed through to the final with a dominant performance over Australia in the semi. After losing the toss and being sent into the field, England capatalised from the very start, taking three quick wickets to remove both openers in David Warner and Aaron Finch before inclusion Peter Handscomb fell, leaving the Aussies reeling at 3/14. In the end, the English side were able to bowl Australia out in 49 overs for just 223, with both Chirs Woakes and Abdil Rashid taking three wickets apiece.
In reply, the English openers Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow got off to a flying start with the bat, putting on 124 runs for the opening partnership and all but icing the game. From there, Joe Root kept the ship steady as England cruised to a win in just over 32 overs, just 2 wickets down. Jason Roy finished with a brilliant 85 off 65 balls.
England will be delighted with the matchup against New Zealand. There’s no doubt that they preferred it to facing off against India, who beat them pretty comfortably in the round robin stage. Bairstow smashed a fantastic century in the round robin game against the Black Caps as the English side piled on 305 runs. In reply, New Zealand could muster just 186 as Mark Wood claimed 3/34 in a dominant bowling display.
It’s unlikely to see the English side making any changes ahead of the final. Moeen Ali will be unlucky to miss out after being one of the catalysts of the resurgence of English white ball cricket over the past few years, but with so much batting power at the top of the line-up, his skills as an all-rounder are not required.
New Zealand
The Kiwis looked done and dusted in their semi-final against India after winning the toss, batting and scoring just 239 runs in their 50 overs. Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor guided the Black Caps to the barely defendable score with 67 and 74 respectively; however, with the dominance the Indian top order has shown in this tournament so far, no one expected it to be enough. Enter Matt Henry.
The New Zealand paceman, who would have been in talking point in selection discussion in the lead up to the match, bowled the spell of his life to open the Indian innings. He removed both of the Indian openers in K.L. Rahul and Rohit Sharma, while Trent Boult captured the prized wicket of Virat Kohli. The trio scored just three runs between them after amassing nearly 1,500 through the round robin stage.
From there, the Indians were in preservation mode, and although Ravindra Jadeja gave them a glimmer of hope with a brilliant 77 off 59 balls, it wasn’t enough as they were bowled out in the final over, still 18 runs short of the Black Caps total.
New Zealand will need to rely heavily on their bowling attack once again if they are to win the final. If England scores anywhere close to 300 or above, we think it will be tough for the Kiwis to win. They will likely look to bat first once again, set a defendable total and put all the pressure on England, who are serial chokers in these type of situations. Hard to see their being any changes for the Kiwis, although I’d love to see them bring in another specialist bowler such as Tim Southee for Colin de Grandhomme and go for the jugular.
Prediction
Regardless of whether they bat or bowl first, early wickets is the key for New Zealand. If they can break the dynamic opening partnership and get Joe Root in early, it leaves the entire English batting line-up vulnerable. The Black Caps can’t let a set Root and one of the openers bat in the middle period against the part timers in Santner, de Grandhomme and Neesham. If they do, England will cruise to a 300+ score.
Hard to bet against the English here with their dynamic batting line-up but at just $1.28, there’s not much meat left on the bone. If England are going to win, it's going to be through a dominant batting display where they post a total of 280+. We think the market for them to have the highest score after 15 overs, the most sixes and win the game is great value at Sportsbet.
England first 15 overs, most sixes, win
$2.88
New Zealand’s hopes rely on Trent Boult’s ability to take early wickets. If they are to win, he’ll need to have a massive game, so we think a small saver bet on Boult to be man of the match at $17 is good value.
