T20 World Cup: Trans-tasman rivals Australia, New Zealand square off for the big prize

Mumbai - The final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium promises to be a humdinger

Devon Conway, one of the key contributors in New Zealand’s thrilling win over England in the semifinal, is unavailable for Sunday’s final against Australia. He fractured his hand soon after being dismissed, striking it forcefully against his bat in acute disappointment, not knowing at that point in time his team would win the match.

It’s a massive blow since Conway was not only an in-form batsman, but also their wicketkeeper. Characteristically for New Zealand, though, there is no brouhaha surrounding the injury, no cluck-clucking at the misfortune that struck them with the most important game still to be played. The Kiwis simply buckled down to the task ahead.

Two things emerge from Conway’s accident, if it can be called that. One is the intense ambition with which New Zealand have played this tournament, expressed through the batsman taking out the frustration of his batting error that cost his wicket, on himself. The other is the stoic acceptance by the team management that Conway will be out of the final, not letting this take their focus away from the match.

Before the tournament began, T20 specialist bowler Lockie Ferguson, after a successful IPL season, injured himself and was ruled out of the World Cup. The Kiwis didn’t let that loss deter them. Now Conway is lost too. Of course, New Zealand have a ready replacement for Conway in Tim Seifert, a hard-hitting batsman and wicketkeeper. But losing a player of Conway’s ability and the maturity he has shown in his brief career as yet would have been unsettling.

Seifert, remember, had played in his team’s first match this tournament, and didn’t make much of an impact and was relegated to the dug-out as New Zealand plumped to enhance their bowling options, a tactic that has paid rich dividends. Conway’s injury brings them back to square one, so to speak, in finding the best combination to take the field.

However, to handle crisis with equanimity and resilience, has been the hallmark of this New Zealand team, so concerns about Conway’s injury and absence have been muted. One, the Kiwis wouldn’t want to show any sign of panic at this stage of the tournament. Secondly, and more important, they believe someone will fill the breach.

Coach Gary Stead has spoken about the never-say-die attitude of his team, and this has been reflected often enough in the past couple of years, from the ODI World Cup campaign, the passage and subsequent triumph in the taut final of the World Test Championship match against India, and in this tournament, recovering from a first-match defeat against Pakistan to reach this far with excellent percentage cricket based on strong ambition and nerves.

In extolling virtues of the New Zealand team is not to diminish the quality and calibre of the Aussies. If anything, on paper, they look ahead of the Kiwis, and in light of the stunning win over Pakistan in the other semifinal, seemed to have found their mojo in this format, with several players who were below par till then, springing into match-winning form.

Ayaz Memon is an Indian sports writer and commentator