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The ICC Champions Trophy Final is now what every cricket fan from both Australia and New Zealand are waiting for. The trans-Tasman clash for the Champions Trophy is set up to be a thriller of a match and will begin on Monday in South Africa at SuperSport Park, Centurion.

Australia

Well what can I say? After an appalling Ashes series they were able to win the following one-day series against England 6-1. Since then they have had an impressive win over the West Indies in the ICC Champions Trophy Group Stage followed by a close victory over Pakistan and then another win over the struggling England side in the semi-final.

In the semi-final we didn’t really see a lot of the batting line-up for the Aussies as Shane Watson and Ricky Ponting put down a 252-run partnership to seize a comfortable 9 wicket victory. Both batsmen scored centuries. The Australian cricket team also played a decent game in the field. Although it wasn’t the best fielding side we have ever seen, they did do a good job. Siddle took 3 wickets and Lee and Watson both bagged 2.

The Aussies have been in fantastic one-day form of late and are proving that even with he changes to their international team they have what it takes. I would expect that the batting line-up continues their fantastic form again and they will definitely make things difficult for the Kiwi’s.

New Zealand

New Zealand has been a bit of a surprise in the 2009 Champions Trophy and now they have the final to look forward to. During the tournament they have taken an expected loss to South Africa followed by impressive wins against England and Sri Lanka. In the semi-final against Pakistan the kiwi’s certainly showed that they know how to play cricket.

There were a few stars for the New Zealand side in the semi and they will be expected to perform again.  Elliot played a fantastic game with the bat and finished on 75 not out. Butler did the best with the ball for the kiwi’s taking figures of 4/44 from 10 over’s. Daniel Vettori also played well taking 3/43 (10 over’s) and knocking up 41 with the bat before being stumped.

The Kiwi’s were never expected to challenge for the Champions Trophy and have surprised many punters with some good form. If they can play well as a team in the final then they will definitely have a chance.

My Opinion

Unfortunately the chance that New Zealand has is only slim. Even with the loss of major players like McGrath and Hayden, Australia continues to show why they have been the best for so long. There are only two things that can happen here.

Either we see the came come down to the wire and the Aussies win with a couple of over’s to spare or the match becomes a complete white wash with the Aussies dominating from start to finish.

ICC Champions Trophy Final prediction – Australia ($1.48 at Betfair)

The 2009 ICC Champions Trophy is drawing nearer day by day and is all set to begin on Tuesday 22^nd September. The tournament will showcase the strongest 8 international cricket teams in the world in one hell of a battle for pride and glory.

The Group Stage has been broken down as follows.

Group A

India

Australia

Pakistan

West Indies

Group B

South Africa

Sri Lanka

England

New Zealand

India is tipped to be the winner of Group A. They are coming off of a great run of one-day victories and have recently had some well deserved success over Sri Lanka. They will come up against Pakistan for the first time in over a year and this is bound to be one of the best matches of the tournament.

Australia is currently in England finishing off their one-day series after an Ashes defeat. They have shown some good form in their last few matches to win the one-day series which is currently sitting at 5-0. They will be looking to retain their title and will be hard to defeat.

Pakistan is one of the most unpredictable sides in cricket today. The Twenty20 champions will be looking for more glory, but I don’t believe that they will find it in the Champions Trophy. They are a great team on their day and have the potential to beat anyone however bad days are far more common for Pakistan.

The fourth team in Group A, the West Indies, will be unlikely to make any real challenge for the trophy. I would be surprised if they are able to defeat any of their group competitors. Recently their second string team was defeated at home to Bangladesh in both the test and one-day series.

South Africa will be the team to watch and the most likely to take the Champions Trophy. The tournament is being played on their home turf and they will be keen to win a trophy here after missing out on the 2003 World Cup and then the 2007 Twenty20 World Championship.

Sri Lanka has recently defeated the Pakistan side and will look to continue their impressive form. They are more than capable of winning the Champions Trophy, but will need to keep up their consistency if they are to do well.

England has not been playing well in their last few one-day matches and has been smashed by the Aussies in the one-day series after winning the Ashes. I would not expect them to challenge.

New Zealand is another team that I would not expect to provide much of a challenge. Although at times, they do play rather well and may surprise.

For all the most up to date odds for the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy I would recommend Betfair. They have fantastic odds for all the group matches and many other things to bet on such as opening partnerships and first method of dismissal.