Australia skipper ready for a ‘scrap’ in T20 World Cup final vs New Zealand

Both New Zealand and Australia are surprise finalists at the T20 World Cup, and one of the sides will lift this trophy for the first time in Dubai on Sunday

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Aaron Finch is preparing his Australia side for a “fight and scrap” with New Zealand as those great rivals go head-to-head for international T20 cricket’s biggest prize.

They will meet in Dubai on Sunday to contest the T20 World Cup final, after both sides surprised their respective last four opponents with successful run chases to reach this point.

Some ropey England death bowling helped the Black Caps to record a five-wicket win in Abu Dhabi, with Daryl Mitchell and Jimmy Neesham producing the batting heroics needed.

And it was the finishing pair of Marcus Stoinis and Matthew Wade which produced the goods for Australia, as a late hat-trick of sixes from the latter sent Pakistan packing.

Australia skipper Finch is expecting a “great contest” when they meet in the final, with both sides gunning to lift this trophy for the first time.

He knows the side captained by Kane Williamson will be giving everything to win, and that his Aussie side must stay focussed throughout the match.

“Anytime you play New Zealand you know how great a contest it’s gonna be, you know that they’re so disciplined in all three facets of the game,” Finch told reporters on Saturday.

“They’re a team that you have to be on for all 40 overs if you’re gonna get over the line. They’re a great side. They’re really well led by Kane and he’s done it brilliantly.

“They seem to just hang around for long enough in any kind of contest and wear you down. That’s what we’ve learned over the years about New Zealand. They fight and scrap in every situation.”

These two sides met in the 2015 50-over final, a match in which it was Australia who came out on top.

But Finch believes there is very little to choose between the two sides right now, as they battle it out across a total of just 40 overs.

“I think both teams are really well matched up with similar sort of structures in terms of the powerplay bowling,” he said. “New Zealand have obviously been the dominant team in the World Cup in the powerplay with the ball.

“Both teams have got good spin options. It should be a great contest. It always is. So yeah, we can’t wait.”

Australia lost five consecutive T20 series in the build up to this tournament, leading to few people giving them a chance of reaching this stage in their pre-World Cup predictions.

But they have defied all expectations to reach the final, with Finch crediting his team’s run with their ability to consistently stick to their plan and use their strengths as their advantage.

“You got to be in it to win it. I think it’s something you would take to give yourself an opportunity to win a world event, and to win an ICC trophy is really special,” the 34-year-old said.

“So yeah, we’re really proud of where we are at the moment and where we’ve come from. And one more step to go.”