Size matters in World Cup final debate

Former Australia opener Matthew Hayden has copped the brunt of a nation's scorn for suggesting that the transition from the smaller cricket venues of the Shaky Isles to the expansive MCG might prove a decisive factor in Sunday’s World Cup Final.

Hayden's assertion, carried in a column he penned this week for News Corp Australia, was built around the premise that the longer boundaries might prove as much of a fatal distraction for the Black Caps’ power hitting as did the lucrative confines of Eden Park to Australia last month.

After that game, Australia’s sole defeat of the tournament heading into Sunday’s decider, opener David Warner revealed that the sight of boundary ropes in such close proximity coupled with the adrenaline-rush of a vocal sell-out crowd compelled him and a number of teammates to go too hard at the ball.

But Hayden’s suggestion that the same principle might be applied in reverse – that New Zealand’s batsmen might hole out to fielders in the deep aiming shots that would have easily cleared the rope back home – has been interpreted as a gaffe of election campaign proportions.

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The MCG dominates the Melbourne skyline // Getty

In the wake of the Black Caps semi-final win over South Africa that carried them into Sunday’s final, Hayden wrote: "There were a number of times last night where the New Zealand batsmen appeared to be hitting big balls but they'd be getting caught three-quarters of the way to the fence at the MCG."

He also noted that New Zealand had been "sitting in a comfort zone dominating on small grounds for the past two months", an early beginning to the pre-final mind games given that the Black Caps’ opponent was not even known at the time he wrote it.

But it’s not only Australia’s dual World Cup winner who has cited the extra space on offer in Melbourne as a potential pitfall for the co-hosts who will be playing away from home.

India skipper MS Dhoni offered it up as a key element unprovoked when he was asked about New Zealand’s chances in the aftermath of his team’s elimination at the hands of Michael Clarke’s team at the SCG last night.

Dhoni reflects after India's exit

Along with the variation in conditions and the fact Australia’s bowling attack includes three left-arm quicks – Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Johnson and James Faulkner – while New Zealand has just the two, Trent Boult and Corey Anderson.

“One of the biggest things that the New Zealand team will have to deal with is the size of the field,” Dhoni said of the transition to the bigger playing arena that New Zealand face.

"In New Zealand you can get away with quite a few mistimed shots.

"Generally what we’ve seen in New Zealand is you have very good wickets ... but when you come to Australia you get a bit of reverse swing and at the same time you may get wickets that are slightly two-paced and especially we talk about the MCG.

"So how they take risks will be something that is really crucial, and Australia have that advantage of knowing the wicket and having three left-arm fast bowlers in their armoury because that will certainly help them.”

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The Kiwis on a reconnaissance mission in October // Getty

Unlike most of the New Zealand team, Dhoni has recently experienced the MCG in both Test and ODI formats.

But the fact his view was echoed by Australia opener Aaron Finch suggests there may be more to Hayden’s claim than the lampooning he’s copped across social media platforms in recent days would indicate.

Not only is Victorian-born Finch’s home venue, it is the ground on which the big-hitter scored a century in his team’s opening World Cup match against England six weeks ago.

“It is a huge ground, the MCG, and I don’t think they (the Black Caps) have played there for a long time,” Finch said today.

“So it will be interesting to see how they go. 

“First time I played there I had no idea – I felt like I couldn’t hit it to the boundary.”

Finch happy to grind out some runs

The case for the contrary was proffered by New Zealand opening bowler Tim Southee, who told a media conference at the very venue itself today that his team boasted wide experience of all types of spaces – close, broad and in-between.

“We’ve got guys that have played a lot of cricket around the world on various-sized grounds – big grounds, small grounds,” Southee revealed.

“We’ve got enough experience on big grounds, although the grounds in New Zealand are small but we do have a couple of big ones.

“Hagley Park (in Christchurch) is reasonably big so we’re not too worried about the size of the ground.”

That middle ground was most safely trodden by Australia’s Test opening bowler Ryan Harris, who pointed out that the MCG would present a change of scenery for the Black Caps but that, as international cricketers, these were the sorts of challenges they were used to negotiating.

“I think it will be different for them but at the end of the day they are professional cricketers, and they are going to work it out quickly and play to the conditions,” Harris told cricket.com.au today.

“I would be very surprised if they try to hit sixes over the long boundaries where the percentages are quite low, but that goes for any cricket side at any venue.

“Not being able to hit over the long boundaries means they’ll be running a lot more twos and threes.

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Dan Vettori has plenty of MCG experience // Getty

“But most of them have played here before, so they’ll adapt to the conditions.”

And it’s Harris’s final observation that may be the most pertinent.

New Zealand has not played an ODI in Melbourne since their most recent limited-overs tour of Australia in 2009, and have turned out there in coloured clothing just twice in the past 13 years.

In Test cricket the drought has been even longer – they’ve not graced Australia’s most historic and atmospheric cricket ground in the long-form of the game since Mike Whitney famously salvaged a draw for the home nation in 1987.

Getting lost in the vast, open expanses of the MCG’s outfield might not pose the Black Caps greatest challenge.

Getting lost in their team bus while traversing such an unfamiliar route may be the more urgent issue.