05 October,2009 07:17 AM IST | | Khalid A-H-Ansari
On paper, today's Champions Trophy final at Centurion promises to be a hopelessly one-sided affair, with Australia, who showed awesome form when crushing England by nine wickets in the semi-final, generally considered raging favourites to win.
But it would be extremely unwise to write off their archrivals from across the Tasman Sea.
If there is one team in this event that has shown extraordinary spunk, spirit and stamina against all odds, as also resourcefulness and inventive leadership, it is New Zealand.
If Australia's win over pretentious England, following their 6-1 recent drubbing, was daunting for its single-minded intensity, the Kiwis win on Saturday was the result of admirable clinical precision despite injuries to key players.
With four of their leading players missing because of injury, New Zealand's passage to today's final is a saga of fortitude and teamwork.
A nation of just 4.1 million, New Zealand is tremendously sports-minded, supported with an impressive infrastructure.
Over the years, Kiwis have had an impressive record at international rugby, yachting, women's netball, horse breeding, squash and Olympics' hockey and athletics.
"The one thing about this New Zealand side is that they're fighters and they fight for each other," their cricket coach Andy Moles said last week.
The resolute Black Caps were first handicapped through injury to Jacob Oram, who skipper Daniel Vettori described before the match against South Africa as giving the side "balance."
Jesse Ryder then injured his groin while scoring a hurricane 74 against Sri Lanka. Daryl Tuffey hurt his hand and Johannesburg African-born Grant Elliot damaged his thumb, while batting against England, to compound the
New Zealanders' woes.
Elliot, showed no discomfort while helping his captain steer his side to an upset five-wicket victory over cocky Pakistan on Saturday.
The Centurion wicket has played true for the greater part of this tournament, unlike Wanderers, and there is no reason to believe it will be much different today, despite the wear and tear of the past fortnight.
Ricky Ponting's knock on this wicket against England proclaimed he is at the top of his form, as is Shane Watson. Michael Hussey is back in form and Tim Paine, Cameron White and Callum Ferguson have given ample evidence that they have arrived.
Add to this pace spearhead Brett Lee's and Mitchell Johnson's proficiency with both bat and ball and the sustained hostility of Peter Siddle, Shane Watson, James Hopes and the Scrooge-like, economic spin of Nathan Hauritz and you have a champion combination.
The Kiwis, on the other hand, were winners of the Champions Trophy in 2000 in Kenya where they beat India by four wickets in the final.
Their individual performances in this tournament have been far from outstanding, but they have shown collective resilience and outstanding teamwork.
A lot will depend today on destructive wicket-keeper opening batsman Brendon McCullum of Kolkata Knght Riders and the aggressive Ross Taylor in the batting department, and crafty Daniel Vettori, arguably among the world's best spin bowlers, former policeman Shane Bond, at one time among the world's fastest bowlers, and journeymen James Franklin and Ian Butler.
Whereas indications are that Ricky Ponting's men will be as ferocious as South Africa's famed Big Five
(the lion, cheetah, elephant, rhinoceros and buffalo) in their pursuit of a win today to reassert their dominance of one-day cricket, aficionados are warned that they can write off the Kiwis only at their peril in this David and Goliath encounter.
The total prize money for this event is US$4 million.
The winners today will receive US2 million and the runners-up US$1 million. Beaten semi-finalists, England and Pakistan, will take home US$400,000 each.
