Page 48 - The Indian EYE 061821

SPORTS
5 Things to watch Out from
the world Test championship Final
After two years of cricket and 58 Test matches,
the much-awaited World Test Championship Final is finally here.
who, what, when,
where?
• india Vs New Zealand
• world Test championship
(wTc) Final
• june 18 -22
nd
th
• The rose Bowl, Southampton
A reserve day is available in
case all the overs are not recov-
ered during the five days.
If there is a tie or a draw, the
World Test Championship tro-
phy will be shared.
New Zealand have already
been in England for a 2-Test
series, which has helped them
acclimatize to the conditions.
India have not had much prac-
tice but have been in England
to serve quarantine time.
How will the pitch play?
A good pitch can make
an immense difference in the
viewing of a Test match.
The first Test between En-
gland and New Zealand ended
in a boring draw. It was atypi-
cal England pitch—slightly flat
and not much swing on offer
either. Even a player of Jimmy
Anderson’s caliber failed to ex-
tract much out of it.
The only reason there was
any hope of a result was due to
New Zealand’s bold declara-
tion early on day 5. The second
Test ongoing right now, is not
much different either.
I really hope a sporting
JUNE 18, 2021 | The Indian Eye 48
for choices as well.
Conway conquered Lord’s
with a magnificent 200 on de-
but, youngster Will Young is
in the form of his life, and only
two out of the all-rounders de
Grandhomme, Daryl Mitchell,
& Santner can actually make it
to the XI.
The selection on the bowl-
ing front is even trickier. South-
ee-Boult-Wagner-Jamieson se-
lect themselves, but with Matt
Henry’s great outing in the 2
nd
BroKeN cricKeT dreaMs Test against England as well as
Bracewell, Duffy, & spinner
NITESH MATHUR Ajaz Patel on the sidelines, there
is plenty to ponder for the Kiwis.
www.brokencricketdreams.com Both teams have talent, but
the team that chooses wisely
and makes better decisions will
ultimately prevail.
pitch, fitting of a final, is pro- siraj, shami, and sharma –
vided by the ICC. who will play? an end of an era?
will Teams go for the Now for the interesting BJ Watling announced his
Jugular? part—selection policies. Both retirement prior to the series,
It will be interesting how teams boast envious bench and although he played the first
the teams go about since tro- strengths. India even won in Test against England, he was
nd
phy could be shared, unlike the Australia with a second-string out of the 2 Test due to a sore
2019 Cricket World Cup Final. team. back. Hopefully, he recovers in
Imagine this scenario—Day
Vihari, Agarwal, Sundar, time and has that one final gritty
5 last session, 100 runs need- Thakur, Axar all have played knock in him.
ed with 4 wickets to go and 20 starring roles during the WTC World Cups has been a swan-
overs till stumps. campaign, but will anyone even song for plenty of players, and
Will the chasing team risk it get into the XI? nd the World Test Championship
all and go for it? Will the bowl- Siraj debuted only in the 2 might become the equivalent for
ing team be aggressive or keep Test of the Border-Gavaskar Test specialists.
the field back to reduce the run Trophy and has impressed ev- While Watling is the only one
rate? erybody! Rumors are he might to formally retire, one cannot
If the match does indeed go get a wildcard entry into the XI help but think that this might be
late into Day 5, it could be an at the expense of one of the se- the final shot at world glory for
enthralling event, but a 1-match nior players. Wagner (35), Taylor (37), Shar-
final could hold the teams back. With Bumrah & Ashwin ma (32), Ashwin (34), and South-
Shastri proposed an apt solu- most likely to play, Siraj, Sha- ee (32).
tion for future iterations—best mi, Sharma, and Umesh will I do not know about you, but
of 3-match final series will be fight it out for the remaining I cannot wait to watch two of the
fitting for a tournament that is two spots. best sides in the world compete in
played over two years. New Zealand are spoiled this hard-fought final.
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