The Final Showdown

Its tough to give war-like connotations to a crucial cricketing showdown involving New Zealand,even if it is the Champions Trophy final against Australia.

Its tough to give war-like connotations to a crucial cricketing showdown involving New Zealand,even if it is the Champions Trophy final against Australia. Thats because Kiwi skipper Daniel Vettoris geeky looks,witty and unpretentious talk,and the feet-dragging walk dont quite make him come across as a trigger-happy,tough task-master general.

With Ricky Ponting,the war references come easy. When he takes those hurried strides down the dressing room stairs in his golden yellow,it is not difficult to confuse him for a general in combat fatigue. After being the unquestionable captain of a world champion side for years now,he has developed a swagger and the words that emerge from the motor mouth always have an overriding tone of self-belief.

But like the rest of the world,the Aussie captain is aware that Vettori cant be expected to give an inch on the field and his casualness is merely a front for a calculative mind. The Kiwi skipper has shown that captains dont always have to be loud and cocky when energy-efficient calm and confidence can do the job.

And thats why,though the Australians might have an overwhelming advantage in the conventional head-to-head comparison over New Zealand,it is almost level in the other head-to-head evaluation.

On Friday after New Zealands big win over Pakistan,where Vettori stood out with his all-round show,he spoke about his beliefs. Captaincy in term of tactics is,at times,highly over-rated since most of the time it is all about performing on the field. If one does that,things become easy for the captain and,in turn,the team, he said.

Pontings ways might be different,but the ends are the same. On the field,Ponting isnt just the man taking all the decisions he also doubles up as the chief cheerleader. He is the full-of-beans fielder in the circle,whose mouth is never at rest. Either he is chewing the gum flat or shouting instructions,advice or general cheer for his mates. His century in the semi-final showed that he too believes in setting an example for his players.

Captain cool

Vettori didnt quite go to the same school to learn leadership,as both his celebrations and exasperations are muted. His way of pepping up a bowler going for runs is to walk up to him and whisper instructions.

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Most times,Vettori fashions an inscrutable expression on his face that gives no idea of the thoughts in his constantly-ticking mind and the tricks he is hiding in his sleeve. When things arent going his way,all he does is take off his cap and scratch his head. That isnt quite an indicator of the Kiwis having thrown in the towel.

Ponting hit the nail on the head when he spoke about his teams impressions of their gritty neighbours,who arent bothered about the Aussie reputation. They arent the most flamboyant team,but one thing is certain they always give 100 per cent when they are on field, Ponting said.

When Ponting and Vettori go for the toss on Monday,they will represent the stereotypical image of their teams around the cricketing world. Vettori will be seen as the likeable underdog who the neutral love to back,while Ponting symbolises his ruthless bunch of go-getters who dont play to win any popularity contest.

The two will rekindle a cricketing rivalry that has seen dust gathering on it for a while now. With New Zealand not quite the force they were in the past,the Aussies found new rivals. The Ashes and the series against India became the more keenly awaited contests. It has taken a cool and calculated Kiwi captain to raise the mercury again.