New Zealand fast bowler Tim Southee feels the present side, led by Brendon McCullum, has earned respect from the cricket world, including Australia, who will not take them lightly when the two teams clash for the World Cup final tomorrow.
The Black Caps have reached their first ever World Cup final, winning all their six group matches, followed by the quarters and semi-final, in their home country in a tournament they are co-hosting with Australia.
That run also included a thrilling one-wicket win over Michael Clarke and his men, but the final will be their first match of the tournament outside the comfort zone of their home territory.
Southee, who has taken 15 wickets in the tournament and played a major role alongside his new-ball partner Trent Boult (21 wickets), remains unperturbed and is confident of another good show against their ‘big brothers’.
“The rivalry between us pretty much cover every sport and it is massive,” he said yesterday. “We are probably seen as the little brothers from across the ditch, but we do quite well in other sports to compete.
“Australia have had the wood on us over the last couple of years in cricket.
“As a kid growing up, it was alw-ays Australia that you wanted to play against. If you were playing in the back yard it was New Zealand-Australia. You’re always wanting to have one-up over the big brothers.”
“In times gone by, we probably haven’t played to our potential of being as consistent as we should have been against Australia.
“But over the last few years, we have probably gained a little more respect around the world because of the cricket we are playing and the brand of cricket we are playing.”
The 26-year-old Southee said the Black Caps are neither fazed by the size of the ground they are facing at the MCG, nor the number of people expected to turn up for the match.
“We’ve got guys who have played a lot of cricket around the world, on big grounds, on small grounds, and we have got enough experience on big grounds,” he added.
“A lot of the grounds in NZ are small, but Hagley Oval (in Christchurch) is reasonably big. We’re not too worried.
“And a lot of the guys have played in front of big crowds in India during the IPL. It’s going to be a great occasion, the guys are excited and we will embrace the occasion.”
“We are not too worried about the size of the ground.
“It’s a dream come true for all the guys. This is as good as it gets, taking on Australia in Australia on one of the best cricket grounds in the world.”
New Zealand had their first training session at the MCG yesterday, and the good news was that Daniel Vettori took part.
There was some concern regarding the veteran spinner’s fitness after he experienced back pain during their semi-final win over South Africa.
