The stage is set for the 2019 World Cup finals and we have got our two finalists -- New Zealand and England, who will square off against each other at the Home of Cricket - Lord's in London.
The last time England and New Zealand faced each other in the ongoing tournament, it was a group stage match and the Eoin Morgan-led side broke a 27-year-old record to beat the Blackcaps in the World Cup.
But all that will count for nothing when the two teams clash in the summit clash at Lord's as the pressure of playing the final of any WC is bigger than anything. Whoever wins the contest the world will see a first-time world champion, which makes the final even more crucial for both the teams.
New Zealand beat favourites India to seal the final spot, while England thrashed arch-rivals Australia by eight wickets to set up the final date at Lord’s.
On paper, it will clearly be a case of home advantage standing Eoin Morgan's men in good stead, but as Kiwi coach Gary Stead hinted on Friday, calling the New Zealand boys underdogs for the final clash would be unfair. After all, they beat the much-fancied Indians to book their ticket to London.
Here are the key battles to look forward in 2019 World Cup final:
Jason Roy vs Trent Boult
In the semi-final against Australia, Jason Roy showed the world how destructive he could be and he meant business. It's pretty evident that Roy will enter the big ticket final against New Zealand with the same mindset but this time he will face Trent Boult, who is ready to undo his mistakes from 2015 WC finals. Boult is an extremely talented fast bowler, who can swing the ball both ways and in the overcast condition, it's almost unplayable for any batsman to bat against him. In the semis against India, Boult removed Virat Kohli for just 1 run to put India on backfoot, that was the blow from which India couldn't recover till the end. It will be a cracker of a contest between Roy and Boult at the Mecca of Cricket.
Kane Williamson vs Jofra Archer
It will be a contest between two calm and composed players- Kane Williamson and Jofra Archer. The right arm pacer is deadly with the ball but he is quite opposite with his mindset as he likes to keep calm while bowling. On the other hand, Williamson is the one man army for Kiwis in this World Cup with bat and scored 548 runs for the finalists. Williamson has the responsibility on his shoulders to score big for his team while Archer is the key man for English skipper Eoin Morgan to provide an important breakthrough. So it will be interesting to see how Williamson holds his ground against fiery Archer in the summit clash of the 2019 World Cup.
Joe Root vs Lockie Ferguson
Joe Root has proved in this World Cup why is the proud member of the modern-day FAB 4 club with the likes of Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, Kane Williamson. Root has scored consistently well for the English team in their dominating campaign in the tournament. With his grit and passion Root slammed 549 runs in 2019 WC. While Kiwis have a special bowler in Lockie Ferguson who is famous for damaging middle-order of every team in this world cup with his pace. Ferguson has the ability to bowl consistently with 145 km/hr plus, it will be a tough contest for Root to stick around for a long time in the middle order.
