• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE THE HINDU DELHI SUNDAY, JULY 14, 2019 SPORT 17 EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE England, New Zealand to battle it out for the long-elusive crown It promises to be a gripping contest between Williamson’s bowlers and Morgan’s big-hitters on the hallowed Lord’s turf Who’ll lift it? Eoin Morgan and Kane Williamson will go all out to lay their hands on the coveted trophy.* COURTESY ICC space­ship styled press box which doesn’t blend with the prevailing aesthetics. There is irony too as one of its access points has a black and white picture of Sunil Gavaskar and this after the great opener was once barred entry at the Grace Gates by overzealous Marylebone Cricket Club ste­ wards! K.C. Vijaya Kumar London Advantage England found a pulsating tail­wind Chris Woakes and Adil Rashid a circle and Williamson England, cricket’s birthplace, In this theatre, largely ancient and qualified for the semifi­ is present in the spin­stakes. spoke. He was perhaps quell­ seeks its biggest moment un­ in spirit with some modern in­ nals where old foe Australia In the opposite corner, ing the nerves, may be pep­ der the sun very appropriate­ fluences, Eoin Morgan’s men got hammered. The return of New Zealand awaits with a ping up his wards besides re­ ly at a venue steeped in histo­ will take on New Zealand in Jason Roy after he recovered chuckle. It is a pretty relaxed minding them of being a ry. Lord’s has its iconic the ICC World Cup final on from a hamstring injury, has unit, aware of its strengths: bridesmaid in the 2015 edi­ red­brick pavilion and even Sunday. It is also heartening turned out to be the x­factor dogged batting embellished tion when the Kiwis lost the the walls have gravitas and that in a nation where football and his pulverising bat found through skipper Kane Wil­ summit clash to Australia. the forecast hinting at a fine feature stunning lines, like the reigns, this particular clash, a mirror image in opening liamson’s authoritative blade, May be he was telling them, summer day, one of the rivals following one from W.G. marinated in overwhelming partner Jonny Bairstow. plus a fast attack led by left­ ‘let’s do this for our country, would have scripted a fresh Grace: “The great thing in hit­ expectations, will be beamed armer Trent Boult and Matt let’s do this for Baz (Brendon chapter that will last for pos­ ting is, not to be half­hearted live on free­to­air channels Strong batting line-up Henry, while spinner Mitchell McCullum)’, who was the los­ terity. Morgan has the force about it; but when you make and the common man can sa­ The relatively sedate Joe Root Santner does a holding job. ing captain in the previous cli­ with him but remember, this Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Jos Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, up your mind to hit, to do it as vour it with his favourite bev­ has hit the straps, Morgan This joust’s fate primarily max. Whatever be the conver­ is the place where Kapil’s De­ Buttler, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Matt Henry, Mitchell Santner, if the whole match depended erage and some fish and chips found key runs against Austra­ hinges on the battle between sation, surely the late Martin vils defended a paltry 183 Jofra Archer, Liam Plunkett, Adil Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Tom upon that particular stroke.” at home. lia and England bats deep as Williamson’s bowlers and the Crowe, a mentor for many in against the mighty West In­ Rashid, Chris Woakes, Mark Blundell, Colin Munro and Hen­ The ‘home of cricket’, as This is an epic contest Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler are home squad’s fire­spewing this bunch, would have ap­ dies during the 1983 final. And Wood, Tom Curran, Liam Daw­ ry Nicholls. Lord’s is referred in bro­ which is England’s to lose. Af­ around to either rescue an in­ willow wielders on a pitch proved from above. as Williamson regularly re­ son and James Vince. Umpires: Kumar Dharmasena chures, nameplates and its ter a splendid start before a nings or indulge in a biff. The with its tinge of green. England and New Zealand minds the press: “anything New Zealand: Kane Williamson and Marais Erasmus; Third um- Twitter account, has its quirks series of losses forced it into a bowling core has its varied On match­eve here on Sa­ have never won the World can happen on any day.” (Capt.), Ross Taylor, Martin pire: Rod Tucker; Match referee: ranging from a turf that gently ‘win or perish’ zone within shades of pace and swing, be turday, just before they Cup since its inception in The teams (from): England: Guptill, Tom Latham, James Ranjan Madugalle. slopes besides a ghastly the league phase, the host it through Jofra Archer or a trained, the Black Caps sat in 1975. On Sunday evening with Eoin Morgan (Capt.), Jason Roy, Neesham, Trent Boult, Colin de Play starts at 3 p.m. IST. Morgan aware of challenges ‘Anybody can beat anybody of a summit clash regardless of the breed of dog’ New Zealand is an extremely tough side: England skipper Williamson, however, concedes that England is favourite Ready for it: A relaxed Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root and Eoin Morgan, at a practice session on Saturday. * REUTERS Handling pressure: Ross Taylor, centre, will look to put his experience to good use in the final. * AFP K.C. Vijaya Kumar defeat against New Zealand “Through the tournament, London at Wellington, with the form­ the scores have been lower K.C. Vijaya Kumar Lord’s, Williamson smiled tition that anybody can beat Nasser Hussain stood be­ er scoring a measly 123 and than they previously were London and said: “Party­poopers? anybody.” hind the assembled corres­ the latter getting those runs and Lord’s isn’t a high­scor­ Absorbing pressure and hav­ You talking about dogs pondents, near the jostling with Brendon McCullum ing ground so it (final) will be ing a laugh about it seems se­ again, hey? (smiling) under­ Try to learn bunch of television camera­ leading the way. Cut to the a bit of a battle. They (New cond­nature to Kane Wil­ dogs? Look, we are really Probed about how he deals men and listened. The form­ current World Cup, England Zealand bowlers) offer liamson. The New Zealand looking forward to the occa­ with wins and losses, the vis­ er England captain, now a paid back with cumulative threats throughout with the captain conceded that En­ sion and when you go into itor’s skipper revealed his commentator and colum­ interest and thumped the ball.” gland is the favourite ahead any match, you have to deal equanimity: “I prefer win­ nist, is acutely conscious Black Caps by 119 runs in the Morgan, who is close to of the World Cup final, dur­ with a number of different ning than losing. That is that the World Cup has been league game at McCullum, revealed that he ing a press­conference at things, be it pressure or probably the best way to say an elusive holy grail for the Chester­le­Street. has learnt a lot from his Kiwi Lord’s here on Saturday but momentum.” it. Old Blighty since the cham­ But a summit clash is a dif­ friend. “I think in 2015, the in the same breath, insisted England has relished its “Any experience is an op­ pionship was first played in ferent beast and Morgan is way New Zealand played, it that anything could happen. adrenaline­dripping starts portunity to learn and some­ 1975. aware of the challenges. “It’s is very similar to what they Witty and relaxed, he also unleashed by openers Jason times tough experiences, be­ Perhaps, he wanted to a culmination of four years are playing now. They made fun of the ‘under­dog’ Roy and Jonny Bairstow and ing on the wrong side of gauge the mood in the home of hard work and it presents proved to everybody that tag bequeathed to New Zea­ Williamson admitted the results, can slap you in the team’s camp while history a huge opportunity to try you can perform at the high­ land: “England rightly de­ threat but felt that there was face and give you a glaring beckons and out at the high and win a World Cup. We are est level and get to the top by serves to be the favourite. no need to be overwhelmed. lesson and if you ignore that, table, current skipper Eoin going to enjoy the game and being yourselves and not But whatever dog we are, it’s “Those two have been I don’t think that is a positive Morgan held centre­stage in try and take in as much as trying to be somebody else.” just important that we focus fantastic throughout this thing, so treating both the the pre­final press confe­ we can, it’s a World Cup final And has he dreamt about on the cricket that we want competition and prior as outcomes with respect and rence at Lord’s here on Sa­ and we are not going to shy lifting the World Cup? Mor­ to play and we have seen ov­ well. trying to learn from them is turday. It helps that Morgan away from that.” gan nodded in the negative er the years that anybody “There is a huge amount the best part.” has met Rudyard Kipling’s and quipped: “I haven’t al­ can beat anybody regardless of respect for the match­win­ But is the pressure entire­ twin impostors ‘triumph Kiwi bowlers’ threat lowed myself to think about of the breed of dog.” ners that England has, ob­ ly on England? Williamson, and disaster’, while duelling While exuding confidence, lifting the trophy.

Load more

  1

Copy Link