Unfamiliar faces for familiar foes

Gloucestershire's James Franklin replaced Jacob Oram and made an immediate impact with two wickets against Sri Lanka

Australia and New Zealand are familiar rivals, but when they clash in the ICC Champions Trophy final today several relatively unfamiliar faces will be on display.

Australia’s Test and one-day side has been in transition following a glut of high-profile retirements in recent years, notably Matthew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist, Glen McGrath and Shane Warne.

New Zealand, meanwhile, have been hit by a spate of injuries in South Africa, including Jacob Oram, Jesse Ryder and Daryl Tuffey.

Their absence, however, has not been missed, and those that have filled in - notably James Franklin and Aaron Redmond - blending nicely into the squad.

The Black Caps, who have been underdogs in every match since the competition began almost two weeks ago, are now just one more upset from the title following wins against Sri Lanka, England and, latterly, Pakistan in Saturday’s semi-final.

And their admirable run has left captain Daniel Vettori in buoyant mood.

“Yeah, I think so,” the skipper responded when asked if their run to the final was made sweeter by their injury list.

“If you look at the players we’ve missed out – Ryder, Oram and Tuffey and almost (Grant) Elliot.

“They were all pretty important players to us in the past, and particularly Ryder and Tuffey. They had pretty good games that helped us win against Sri Lanka.

“So to lose them has been tough, but it’s the guys that have come in and the guys who were already in the team have stepped up and it’s made the loss of those players easier to handle.

Australia's Tim Paine and Mitchell Johnson are playing in their first major one-day competition

“It’s amazing that there’s still a sense within the team that we can think we can win, even with the loss of those guys.”

Australia, who have lost vice-captain Michael Clarke and Nathan Bracken to injury, are unbeaten having seen off West Indies, Pakistan, England in the semi-final and seen their game against India abandoned due to rain.

Captain Ricky Ponting has urged his developing team to keep their cool as they attempt to secure a fifth 50-over crown in 10 years.

The likes of Mitchell Johnson, Tim Paine, Peter Siddle and Callum Ferguson are featuring in their first global showpiece, and Ponting said: “The thing I’ve stressed to the guys is not to get too carried away by the size of the occasion.

"We just have to put up a performance we know we can and not try anything too spectacular, and if we do that I’m sure you’ll see a good game from us.”

Winning Group A and disposing of England on Friday provided Australia with an extra 24 hours’ rest than their trans-Tasman rivals.

Matches between the countries have been fiercely contested down the years - this year’s one-day series in Australia finished 2-2 - and that is the same across all sports.

“It’s always been a great rivalry whether it be cricket, rugby or netball, or whatever it is,” said Ponting. “The countries always seem to have some very good clashes.

“It’s one we’re looking forward to. We are very excited about what this game can hold and very excited about the way we are playing at the moment.”