5 reasons Australia (AUS) will win ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 final vs New Zealand (NZ)

Australia take on New Zealand in the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday. While New Zealand have been on a roll in the World Cup winning all their matches so far, Australia have it in them to stop the Blackcaps’ juggernaut. Devarchit Varma lists down five reasons why Australia will win.

Michael Clarke-led Australia will be entering their seventh final in the history of the World Cup cricket tournaments, and since they will be playing in front of their home crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), the pressure will be at its peak for the co-hosts. Australia will be facing one of the toughest opponents in this World Cup, New Zealand, as they had lost their group match earlier in the tournament. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: SCHEDULE & MATCH DETAILS

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However, the conditions and the set up will be completely different for this match, which New Zealand will certainly find tough to adjust to. Australia will be feeling they have an edge with a large number of crowd expected to flock the MCG, and their performances finally coming to a level they expected to. Let us take a look at five strong reasons why Australia will win the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 against New Zealand:

New Zealand have no Steven Smith: Yes, there is no one in the New Zealand rank who has scored runs as proficiently as Steven Smith has done. Of course, New Zealand have had their own match winners but the way Steven Smith has matured to his role as the new No. 3 across formats makes him the best in the business. Smith has had a good run in this World Cup, and most importantly, he has scored runs when it mattered. Smith scored a crucial half-century while weathering the storm against Pakistan in the quarter-final, and then his century in the semi-final against India proved to be the knockout punch. Smith is someone who always remains unfazed and unperturbed in pressure situations. Ideal man to send in at No. 3, and Australia will be praying for him to come to party one last time this summer. READ: ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 final: Stats and Trivia

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Michael Clarke’s final ODI: I would expect the whole of Australia to come down that at the ‘G’ on Sunday. Clarke has been struggling for quite some time now, and the retirement was on the cards. But not many expected Clarke to drop the bomb on the eve of the final, and by doing so, the captain has challenged his wards to give him a fitting farewell. Clarke, Mitchell Johnson and Shane Watson are the few men left from the golden generation of the Australian cricketers who dominated and another such performance will be expected from the host side. Clarke is widely respected and revered in Australia, and they will be fired up for the big match on Sunday. READ: A battle of emotions

Mitchell Johnson, Josh Hazlewood’s form alongside Mitchell Starc: One cannot argue over the fact that scoring runs makes a massive difference in Mitchell Johnson’s confidence. He proved in the last match against India that he can be a very good batsman way down in the order, and the runs will help him to come out all strong with the ball as well. It has been Johnson’s strength, and the good show against India in the semi-final will fire him up to push the bar one last time. READ: Glenn Maxwell vs Brendon McCullum

Not many have noticed but Josh Hazlewood has been excellent for Australia. He was picked in the playing eleven ahead of Pat Cummins, and Hazlewood responded with a four-wicket haul against Pakistan. Even in the semi-final against India, when Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma were away with a rapid start, Hazlewood looked like the only bowler who had created impact. Hazlewood strangled the Indian batsmen early on, which proved to be among the many factors why Australia won. READ: Why ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 final would be the most emotional contest

Putting Johnson and Hazlewood alongside Mitchell Starc provides Australia a lethal attack, and they would all be expected to be on the top of their performance on Sunday.

Australia bat really, really deep: Agree, New Zealand too have lot of depth but at No. 8, you cannot say Daniel Vettori is as dangerous as Brad Haddin. Vettori can play the role of a second fiddle to a great extent, but he cannot do the run-scoring all by himself. For New Zealand to chase a big score or set a big target, it will be important for one of their main batsmen to go on till the end. In case of a collapse, you cannot expect Vettori to lead the revival. On the other hand, Haddin is someone who cannot only lead Australia’s recovery when needed, or stop the fall of wickets, but his flat-batted strokes can get then quick runs whenever needed. READ: Mitchell Starc vs Trent Boult

Australia’s experience and record: This is one another reason that you will have to concede in favour of Australia. They have played six finals, won four of them. Australia have far more experience and favourable records of playing in finals of global tournaments. New Zealand can be a bundle of nerves given the fact that this is their first-ever final and that too outside home, in a territory which is infamous for creating ruckus for the visiting sides. Australia were a poor side in the 2011 World Cup, and they deservingly crashed out in the quarter-final. But no more. Clarke’s Australia has done all the homework that was needed and they will be raring to go, come the day of the final. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Complete Coverage

(Devarchit Varma is a reporter with CricketCountry. He can be followed on Twitter @Devarchit)