Melbourne, March 27 (IANS) Countering former Australian batsman Matthew Hayden’s statement that New Zealand will struggle with the size of the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in the World Cup final, Kiwi pacer Tim Southee made it clear on Friday that the team is not worried about the size of the ground.
Co-hosts New Zealand entered the final of the mega-event for the first time with a victory over South Africa in the semi-finals on Tuesday. The Black Caps have played all their World Cup matches so far at home.
But now they are in Australia to play the final at the iconic MCG, a much bigger ground compared to those in New Zealand.
"We are not worried about the size of the ground," Southee said.
Australia’s former explosive opener Hayden on Thursday had said: “Kiwis are going to have to change the way they hit the ball in the final. The size of Eden Park in Auckland is ridiculous.
"It shouldn't be a cricket ground. If you can half throw it from the long off boundary to the opposite end, it's too small.”
The 26-year-old right-arm pacer Southee said that it was a dream come true for the boys to be in the final of the mega-event for the first time.
“It’s a dream come true for all the guys. As a kid growing up you either want to be an All Black or a Black Cap,” he said.
The Black Caps last played a One-Day-International (ODI) at the MCG on February 6, 2009, when the visitors came out victorious, registering a six-wicket win over the hosts.
Southee said his side is unbeaten in eight matches of the tournament and has enough players with experience on bigger grounds to be ready for Sunday’s final.
“We haven’t played here for a long time. We have good memories from that game as well (winning by six wickets),” Southee said.
Speaking on the massive crowd which is expected on the final on Sunday, the pacer said: “It’s a big cricket ground. There’s going to be a lot of people. It’s going to be loud. A lot of the guys have played in front of pretty big crowds in India."
Swing specialist Southee, who has 15 wickets in the tournament, said it has been quite a ride for the Black Caps as the rugby-mad nation gets behind its cricketers for a dream match-up against big brother Australia.
“The rivalry between Australia and New Zealand does pretty much cover every sport and it is massive,” said Southee, who has played in 93 ODIs.
Southee has been sharing the new ball with left-armer Trent Boult who tops the wicket-taking list with 21 victims.
Boult was the destroyer with 5/27 when the Black Caps beat Australia in Auckland during the pool games on February 28.
“We do have a great partnership. A bit of swing would be nice. It hasn’t swung for us in every game but we’ve found ways to take wickets. If it does swing, we do become a bit more dangerous,” Southee said.
Lakshadweep Vs Maldives: Amitabh Bachchan stunned by his comment on Lakshadweep, said- 'Don't harm our self-reliance'
The issue of dispute between Lakshadweep and Maldives is heated. Till now, from films to the cricket world, many celebs have shown their support for Lakshadweep. A new name Amitabh Bachchan has been
PM Modi: Bapu's words in the personal diary of the Prime Minister, know which statements of Gandhiji are the inspiration for PM Modi
On the death anniversary of the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi, a social media account of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday shared some pages from his diary. In these it was told how Modi
Gurugram CNG Crisis: Big news related to CNG vehicles, pump likely to be closed in Gurugram, read the whole matter
The CNG crisis may deepen again in the Gurugram district. According to Haryana City Gas Distribution Limited, CNG gas is on the verge of running out, if the supply is not according to the demand, then
The global mechanism will have to be created to control currency like Cryptocurrency: Nirmala Sitharaman
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday called for action at the global level for the ever-changing technology and effective regulation of mobile payment systems. He said that as of now,
Weather Update: Fog in Delhi-NCR in May, rain completed 30 days quota in three days, it will rain even today
The rains in Delhi in the three days of May have fulfilled the quota for the entire month. Normally, there is 30.7 mm of rain in May, but so far (in three days only) 35.7 mm of rain has been received.
Now what will you get in UP?: First of all, the Yogi government will fulfill this promise, see what is in store for youth, farmers, and women
In Uttar Pradesh, BJP has won a landslide victory with 255 seats. Among allies, 12 candidates of Apna Dal (Sonelal) and six from the Nishad Party also won the election. Now soon Yogi 2.0 government
Russia-Ukraine War: America tightens its grip on Russia, these big names including McDonald-Pepsi included in the list of banned services
Economic sanctions against Russia are increasing in protest against the attack on Ukraine. There was talk for several days that the US could ban the import of oil, natural gas, and coal from Russia,
Pushpa 2: Preparation for the explosive music of 'Pushpa 2', Allu seen with director Sukumar and composer Devisri.
The audience is eagerly waiting for Allu Arjun's upcoming film 'Pushp 2'. The teaser of this film will be released on the occasion of Allu's birthday on 8th April, for which fans are waiting with
Does Sharad Pawar himself now want to take over the reins of UPA? Congress also reacted to the signals
Due to the continuous defeat in the elections, questions have been raised on the leadership of the Gandhi family within the Congress party, now its ally NCP has demanded that the Congress should hand
BCCI: Match fees of Indian women cricketers are now at par with men, BCCI made a big announcement
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Jay Shah made a big announcement on Thursday (27 October). He told that now the match fees of Indian women players will also be equal to that of