Ashes rivalry renewed as England, Australia face off in T20 WC

Joseph Hoover
Bridgetown (Barbados), May 15 (PTI) Australia's brute
batting force and consistent bowling would be put through a
stern test against a spirited England when the two Ashes
rivals clash in the finals of the Twenty20 cricket World Cup
here on Sunday.
Australia go into the match with sky-high confidence
after chasing down a seemingly improbable 191 against Pakistan
in the semifinals on Friday.
But it would hardly be a stroll in the park for Michael
Clarke's men as England have played some outstanding cricket
in the championship and just like Australia, they have been
unbeaten since the Super Eights stage.
England, who were hardly seen as title contenders before
the start of the tournament, have been a revelation with an
array of attacking batsmen and bowling all-rounders.
They bat deep and have bowled with purpose and discipline
right through the competition. Their fielding has been good as
well.
But Paul Collingwood's men cannot match the Australians
in talent and versality despite having the tenacity and
confidence to take on their arch-rivals.
However, the fast and bouncy Kensington Oval wicket will
pose a challenge to the English batsman, who haven't faced the
kind of pace which Dirk Nannes and Shaun Tait generate, in
this competition yet.
The tearaway Australian quicks have consistently bowled
at over 145 kph and have extracted disconcerting bounce from
the bone-hard surface.
But this being their first major championship final in
six years, England would be as keen as Australia to take the
title back home. But to achieve that, they would have to play
their best cricket yet.
"The boys have been responding well every time. The
batsmen on top of the order have been giving great starts.
Sometimes we need to finish the pieces of jigsaw," said
Collingwood.
"We have very good players. We have selected players on
potential and they have done fantastically well. We are
confident they can deliver," he added.
Clarke, meanwhile, also has his eyes firmly set on the
elusive Cup.
"We have worked hard over the last 12 months to win the
one cup that we haven't. The boys are keen that we achieve
what we had set out for. So we will come and play our best
cricket," said Clarke. MORE PTI