World T20: Eye on sky in trans-Tasman battle - GoFrnzy.com

World T20: Eye on sky in trans-Tasman battle

World T20: Eye on sky in trans-Tasman battle

DHARAMSALA: Rains in the mountains make for an exotic sight. But not when there is a marquee cricket game waiting to be played out. In this case, while you admire the cloud laden glory of the mountains, you also hope that the weather would relent and let the game happen.

It drizzled, sometimes poured, almost through the day here in Dharamsala on Thursday, the eve of the WT20 clash between Australia and New Zealand. The majestic Dhauladhar mountain range, which surrounds the HPCA Stadium, virtually disappeared behind the clouds which had set in the morning itself. With periods of rain forecast for Friday too, the weather has become a major factor in the high-octane clash.

For both Australia and New Zealand, the pitch here remains a mystery. After what happened in the India-New Zealand match at Nagpur on Tuesday, they are wary - Australia more than the Kiwis, of course.

The Australians, who had a light, curtailed practice session on Thurs day morning, left the ground without a final look at the track as it was under covers. In fact, the entire ground was covered to somehow keep it match-fit for Friday. The Kiwis, who landed in the city on Wednesday evening, came to the stadium for an afternoon training session but were forced to remain indoors.

Since this is a day game, HPCA officials were hoping for a full game, even if in bits and pieces. However, as Aussie skipper Steve Smith said, his side will be ready for a truncated affair. "We can't control the weather. We will have to adapt to whatever the situation is," he remarkeD

Incidentally, these arch-foes have a piece of T20 international history to their name: The first-ever T20I was played between them, on February 17, 2005 at Auckland. After that, however, they have contested only four more T20Is, the last one way back in February 2010. And this is the first time they are squaring off in the World T20.

 On paper, the Aussies have more firepower, especially in batting. They bat deep and a majority of their batters have good experience of Indian conditions, courtesy the IPL. However, New Zealand, who are no longer the easy pushovers for their trans-Tasman 'Big Brother,' have spunk, skill and, notably, spin and will be more than a match for the Aussies.[sc:afterFooterAd]

Both Australia and New Zealand are teams which seldom give a match away. A team has to play better than them to beat them. Thus, a game between these two outfits is always intensely competitive. And then there is a bit of history between the two. Some needling and sledging is par for course.

 Shane Watson has already said his team wouldn't mind reminding the Kiwis about the 2015 World Cup (50 over) final flop. Kiwi batsman Ross Taylor responded by saying that while the Aussies did enjoy a better record against the Kiwis, these were foreign conditions. "This is not Eden Park or MCG where they have a superior record," Taylor remarked.[sc:afterFooterAd]

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