Interesting stats to emerge from Australia vs New Zealand T20 World Cup 2021 final
Australia rode on to batting masterclasses from Mitchell Marsh and David Warner to beat New Zealand to win their maiden T20 World Cup title. This was the title which had eluded them for so many years.
Asked to bat first, the Kiwi captain propelled New Zealand to 172 runs with a classic Kane Williamson knock of 85 runs. However, it was not enough to end their barren run in the ICC limited-overs tournament. The Aussies chased down the total with seven balls to spare.
#Australia win their maiden T20 World Cup and add yet another ICC title to their trophy cabinet 🇦🇺🏆
#AUS #T20WorldCup #T20WorldCupFinal https://t.co/q84KzE7SbS
David Warner (53) got Australia off to a flying start in the run chase before Mitchell Marsh (77*) took the game away from the Black Caps. The 30-year-old all-rounder pressed the gear from the first ball and absolutely hammered the New Zealand bowlers to win for his side.
On that note, let's take a look at some of the interesting stats from the T20 World Cup 2021 final between Australia and New Zealand.
1. Mitchell Starc becomes the first bowler to bowl the first ball of a final in both T20 World Cup and ODI World Cup
Mitchell Starc becomes the first man to bowl the first ball of a Final in both ODI WC and T20 WC.
Martin Guptill becomes the first man to face the first ball of a Final in both ODI WC and T20 WC.
Both 2015 and 2021 finals began with "Starc to Guptill, no run".
#T20WorldCupFinal
Australia's Mitchell Starc became the first cricketer to bowl the first ball of both ODI World Cup and T20 World Cup final. He achieved this in the 2015 ODI World Cup and the 2021 T20 World Cup.
Interestingly, New Zealand opener Martin Guptill was on strike on both occasions. Both the deliveries were dot ball.
Starc finished with figures of 2/20 from eight overs in the ODI World Cup final. However, he had a horrid outing in Dubai, conceding 60 runs from his four overs at an economy rate of 15.
2. Mitchell Starc becomes the most expensive bowler in a T20 World Cup final
Australia's middle fast bowler Starc has had a mixed outing in the tournament. He returned with only nine wickets from seven matches at an economy rate of 9.18.
His poor run in the T20 World Cup 2021 continued in the title-decider. The 31-year-old cricketer conceded 60 runs from his quota of four overs. This is the most a bowler has conceded in the final of the T20 World Cup final.
Earlier, Sri Lanka's Lasith Malinga held the record. He gave away 54 runs from his overs against West Indies in the 2012 T20 World Cup final.
Moreover, Starc had an economy rate of 15 in the match. This is the worst by a bowler who has bowled a minimum of 20 balls in a knockout game of ODI and T20 World Cups.
3. Kane Williamson is the first player to captain in a Test, ODI and T20I final
On Sunday, Williamson became the first cricketer to captain a side in the finals of the ODI World Cup, T20 World Cup and World Test Championship.
Previously, the 31-year-old batsman led the Kiwis in the final of the 2019 ODI World Cup against England. Earlier this year, he captained the Black Caps in the World Test Championship final against India. They defeated Virat Kohli & Co to win their maiden ICC tournament.
4. Australia post the highest total ever in a T20 World Cup final
The Kiwis rode on an outstanding knock from their skipper Kane Williamson to post 172 runs after being asked to bat first by Aaron Finch. New Zealand started slow, scoring only 57 runs from the first 10 overs. They then added another 115 from the last 10 overs.
However, Australia chased down the total quite convincingly. They posted the highest total ever in a T20 World Cup final, going past New Zealand's 172 posted earlier in the day.
5. Highest score by a captain in a T20 World Cup final
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson played a valuable knock of 85 runs from just 48 deliveries. His innings included 10 boundaries and three sixes to propel his side to a huge total.
This is the highest score by a captain in a final of the T20 World Cup. Williamson goes past former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara, who scored an unbeaten 64 in the 2009 World T20 final.
Incidentally, Williamson also now has the joint highest-scorer by a player alongside West Indies' Marlon Samuels (85*) in a T20 World Cup final.
6. Mitchell Marsh becomes the third batter to hit a six off the first ball he faced in a men's T20 World Cup Final
Players to hit a six off the first ball he faced in a Men's T20 World Cup Final :
Yusuf Pathan 🇮🇳 v Asif (2007)
Sohail Tanvir 🇵🇰 v Sreesanth (2007)
Mitchell Marsh 🇦🇺 v Milne (today)
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The 30-year-old all-rounder kickstarted his innings in the title-decider with a towering six off Adam Milne. The Kiwi pacer targeted Marsh's ribs as the Aussie cricketer pulled off an extravagant slap over the deep square leg fielder.
He becomes only the third cricketer after Yusuf Pathan and Sohail Tanvir to achieve this decorated feat. Incidentally, the first two instances happened in the same game during the 2007 World T20 final, which was won by India.
7. Mitchell Marsh now has scored the fastest 50 in a T20 World Cup final
Marsh played a whirlwind knock of 77* runs off 50 balls. He hit six fours and four boundaries to guide Australia to their maiden T20 title. In the process, he scored the fastest half-century in the final of a multi-nation T20 tournament off just 31 balls.
The Aussie went past New Zealand captain Kane Williamson (32 balls), who achieved the feat earlier in the same match on Sunday. Williamson single-handedly propelled the Kiwis to 172 runs but it was not enough to guarantee them the title.