Southee also said New Zealand is unfazed by underdog tag.
New Zealand seamer Tim Southee said that the Black Caps are unfazed by their tag as underdogs and said there is nothing to fear, as they are gearing up to face Australia in the final of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021 on Sunday, November 14, in Dubai, UAE.
Both Australia and New Zealand defeated the tournament favorites Pakistan and England, respectively, in the semi-finals to make it to the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 final, which would certainly be another enthralling encounter in Dubai on Sunday.
Notably, Australia has won a record five ODI World Cup titles, but surprisingly hasn’t yet won the T20 World Cup, while New Zealand suffered World Cup heartbreak in the 50-over format in 2015 and 2019 despite being consistent in ICC events, though they won the ICC World Test title this year.
Well, ahead of the T20 World Cup 2021 final, Southee said New Zealand is unperturbed by the perception of their side as underdogs and unfazed by the prospect of facing "a very strong and dangerous" Australia in the summit clash on Sunday in Dubai.
As reported by Perth Now, Southee said: “You hear all the outside noise, but as a group, we just try and stay pretty level. We don't beat ourselves up if we lose a game. Look at the first game against Pakistan, we weren't too far off, we didn't try and reinvent the wheel, we just knew we had to make small adjustments and improve in certain areas.”
He further said that the Black Caps have adapted well to the conditions in the UAE and the varied requirements of the day and night games while mentioning their consistency in the ICC events.
Southee added, “We've assessed the conditions reasonably well. We've had to chop and change between venues, day games, and night games, but as a whole, we've been pretty consistent and quick in adapting. We've done that throughout the tournament. One of the strengths of the side is just to stay level in everything we do, but we've definitely been a lot more consistent in world events, especially.”
However, the 32-year-old admitted that Australia is a strong team, but feels they have a batting unit similar to England and he is relishing the challenge of bowling against the power-packed, quality batting line-up in the T20 World Cup final in Dubai.
He said, “Australia has been a very strong side for a long time. We haven't played them in a final since 2015 but - I know they weren't at full strength - we beat them in a T20 series not so long ago. We know they're a dangerous side but it's a final, anything can happen.”
Southee signed off by saying, “I don't think there's any fear, we've played against some quality opposition throughout the tournament. They're very similar to the England line-up where they've got dangerous batters throughout, but as a bowler, you want to challenge yourself against the best and Australia have got plenty of quality players.”