Rob Walter
Otago coach
England will want to bat first. That is their model for winning games. But that also presents the Black Caps with the best chance in terms of bowling. Ultimately, that was how they got past India. They made inroads early with the swinging ball and I think that is their best chance against England. You want to force that middle order to play differently. Their way is to keep playing aggressively but they have been allowed to do that because Roy and Bairstow have been prolific. If you take that platform away it will be very interesting to see where they go to, especially with the pressure of a World Cup final. Will they have the conviction to stick to their guns? Martin Guptill is due for something. He is one of those batters who could easily kick into gear and get a few. In contrast to England, the Black Caps have struggled to get a platform. If they can get a good start, then that batting line-up looks a whole lot different. My prediction is it will either be a very close win by New Zealand or England will walk the game.
Craig Cumming
Former New Zealand international
If the semifinal taught us anything, it is that you have to believe you've got an opportunity. The Black Caps showed that they are a smart cricket team. It took a lot of courage to understand the conditions they were playing and to know what they needed to do to win. I think that is something we, as fans, have maybe overlooked. But they are up against a very good side. But there is a lot of pressure playing a home final and I think that plays into the Black Caps' advantage. England has dealt with the pressure well. But that does not mean, if you lose a wicket or two, you won't feel it. Bowling has been our strength. The Black Caps have been really consistent with the ball. But to beat England, I think they are going to have to be good at both. England is too good of a side to beat with just four or five contributing. It will have to be a whole team effort. But the Black Caps can draw a lot of confidence from the semifinal.
Warren Lees
Former New Zealand coach
It is a one-off game so they have every chance. But if you line the players up against each other, we would probably be very much the underdogs still. But we have developed a set of bowlers who have very different skills and we got the best of the conditions against India. I will have a bet on the game but I won't place it until after the toss. I think that is very, very important. If there is a little bit of green in the pitch and helpful conditions overhead, it would go against the trend but we would want to field, I should imagine. Neither team will want to be three for 20 and that has happened. So that first 30 minutes of the final will be pretty important. I think they have more to lose, whereas we have nothing to lose. We are going to come home heroes now because it was only a week ago 90% of New Zealand felt they had let us down.
