Published on 12:00 AM, November 14, 2021

Players watch

Looking back at the journey of the ICC T20 World Cup, not many would disagree that the two finalists -- New Zealand and Australia -- are the most deserving teams to lift the trophy, which for either side would be a first T20 World Cup triumph.

Both have so far played as units and without an overreliance on individual performances, meaning different players rose the occasion as needed, but there are those individuals who have the ability to change the course of the game.

The World Cup is perhaps the biggest platform when it comes to launching new stars and New Zealand have unearthed Daryl Mitchell at this mega-event.

The accidental opener, who was not even considered for his nation's World Cup squad at one point, burst onto the scene with a match-winning, unbeaten 47-ball 72 in chase of England's 167 in the semifinal.

With momentum on his side, all eyes will be on the 30-year-old right-hander in the final against Australia today and if he rises to the occasion, he may well stamp his authority as the next big thing in New Zealand cricket.

While Mitchell is expected to play a big role with the bat, who can overlook speedster Trent Boult and te impact his ability with the new ball for the Kiwis could have on an occasion as big as the World Cup final?

Apart from the semifinal against England, when he went wicketless for 40 runs, Boult had been venomous for New Zealand in all Super 12 games.The left-arm seamer consistently provided breakthroughs for his side in the Powerplay and ended with 10 wickets from five games.

Experience has always been key on big occasions and the Kiwis will also be banking on Boult's vast knowledge of the opponent to disrupt the Aussie batting line-up. On the other hand, Australia will look to the powerhouse of their batting armory, David Warner, for yet another explosive start.

At a strike rate of 148.42, Warner scored 236 runs across six games, including two fifties, and is among the top four run-getters in the mega-event.

If New Zealand really want to make an impact with the bat, they have to go through Adam Zampa and find ways to score against the in-form leg-spinner.

Not only is he the second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 12 scalps, Zampa's economy rate of just under six runs per over can prove to be deadly for the Kiwis in the final.