ICC World Cup 2019: Steve Waugh predicts the winner of the Grand Finale

The 2019 edition of the World Cup got underway back on May 30 and has been a witness to some jaw-dropping display of cricket throughout. 10 teams fought it out in the main round out of which four- India, New Zealand, Australia and England- went into the semi-final. The Black Caps defeated Virat Kohli’s India in the first semi by 18 runs at the Old Trafford in Manchester.

On the other hand, the Three Lions, led by Eoin Morgan, demolished the Aussies by eight wickets at the Edgbaston in Birmingham. The respective victories in the semis meant that the World Cup is set to get a new champion. The final is scheduled to be played on July 14 at the renowned Lord’s Cricket Ground in London and the excitement surrounding the clash is on an escalation.

In the meantime, Steve Waugh, the former Australian batsman, has put forth his prediction for the encounter at the Home Cricket. He picked the Brits to win the championship as per reports in Times Now. However, he also believes that beating Kane Williamson’s men won’t be easy. The same is for the reason that the Kiwis has been playing some jaw-dropping cricket of late.

New Zealand and England’s journey

New Zealand won five out of their first six games in the league stage with one match versus India getting washed away. Thereafter, the Black Caps went into a slump and lost three games in a row. Fortunately, they qualified on the basis of superior Net Run Rate after getting locked on 11 points with Pakistan. Williamson led from the front, having scored 548 runs with two tons at an impressive average of 91.33.

As far as England is concerned, they were being deemed as one of the favourites. After a couple of losses of Sri Lanka and Australia, Morgan’s men found themselves in a bit of trouble. The fact that the likes of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Lanka were breathing down their neck didn’t make their task easy.

But the Brits rolled over the Men in Blue at the Edgbaston to almost cement their berth in the semis. Ahead of the final, the English can take confidence from their 119-run victory over the Kiwis at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street.