Where will the Cricket World Cup final be won and lost? Nasser Hussain takes a look at some of the key battles at Lord’s.
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Jason Roy v Trent Boult
Roy: six innings, 426 runs, 153 highest, average 71.00
Boult: 89 overs, four maidens, 17 wickets, average 24.23, best 4-30
Trent Boult gets good players out – just ask Virat Kohli. He is a fabulous bowler who is at his most dangerous when he swings it back in to the right-handers. The ball can swing a little bit more at Lord’s, as we saw when the teams met in the group stage, and he’s adept at making the most of conditions. So England will have to be wary with him.
But I was more than impressed with the way that Jason Roy played Australia’s seamers Mitchell Starc and Jason Behrendorff at Edgbaston. The ball did swing for two or three overs; everyone goes on about Roy’s strokeplay but his technique up front against Starc was absolutely spot on. Then Roy went after Starc, after it stopped moving. It was a very smart innings from Roy and I’m sure he’ll do the same with Boult.
Jofra Archer v Kane Williamson
Archer: 90.5 overs, eight maidens, 419 runs, 19 wickets, average 22.05, best 3-27
Williamson: eight innings, 548 runs, 148 highest, average 91.33
I can’t speak highly enough of Kane Williamson; that’s why this World Cup final isn’t a foregone conclusion. If you write off a side led by him you are a fool. He’s not only a fine player who is in the form of his life, epitomised by that superb knock against India in the semi-finals, but he’s a fine leader as well. They say a side reflects its captain and Williamson is a very smart cookie – so New Zealand play smart cricket.
Jofra Archer has been unbelievable; for a 24-year-old to run up and bowl the delivery that he did to Australia’s captain Aaron Finch first up showed how ice-cool he is. I have no fear that Archer will in any way bottle this final. Lord’s is a unique ground for bowlers and even someone like James Anderson hasn’t worked out which is his best end! Archer didn’t have his best game of the World Cup at Lord’s against Australia (1-56 off nine) but he’s ticked every other box.
Eoin Morgan v Lockie Ferguson
Morgan: nine innings, 362 runs, 148 runs, average 45.25
Ferguson: 73.4 overs, three maidens, 359 runs, 18 wickets, average 19.94, best 4-37
Lockie Ferguson wasn’t playing at Durham when the teams met earlier in the tournament and New Zealand missed him; they looked a little one-dimensional after the threat of Boult had gone. He possesses a very fast bouncer and is very skilful; he’s a bit like Archer in that he’s got a great slower ball too – a cutter variation that dips on you – and balls like that become very, very dangerous when you’re set for a delivery coming at you at 95mph.
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