Courtesy-OrissaPOST
Former Pakistan opener Salman Butt has come up to explain why New Zealand has an advantage over India in the next ICC World Test Championship final, which will be held at the Ageas Rosebowl in Southampton from June 18-22.
The top two sides in the game’s longest format will square off in a one-off Test match for the ultimate reward in red-ball cricket.
While engaging on his official YouTube channel, one of the die-hard followers of the game questioned Butt about what may be the deciding aspect of the clash between Kohli & Co. and the Kane Williamson-led team, to which he answered that, if the circumstances are genuinely English, the application of technique might determine the fate of the match.
Further clarifying, he stated that if the English weather plays a role and there is seam movement off-the-pitch, it would demonstrate which team has stronger fundamentals as well as superior technique execution.
According to Salman, another difference will be how their bowling lineups form out because line and length frequently play a significant influence. Line and length are critical when playing on a ground that aids fast bowlers. Runs will be scored if one is off the mark.
The Black Caps will look to make atonement by winning a major trophy for the first time in 21 years. The Kiwis had reached the World Cup finals in each of the previous two editions (2015 and 2019) but had failed to advance. In truth, they had agonizingly gone short in the 2019 edition, when England and New Zealand were deadlocked at the exact score of 241 after regular time, and the English squad subsequently went on to leave their maiden World Cup title owing to an infamous boundary count rule.
In October 2000, New Zealand won their last ICC championship by claiming the ICC Knockout Trophy contested in Kenya, under the leadership of Stephen Fleming. In the competition final, they defeated a tough Indian squad headed by the dynamic Sourav Ganguly.