Not too many people would have put money on an England/Australia Twenty20 final, but there you have it - England and Australia will play the last game of the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 Championship. At stake is not only the coveted World Cup, but eternal bragging rights. Even the most diehard of Twenty20 critics will undoubtedly turn an eye to the action in Barbados, as the best teams over the last two weeks face each other for the first time in the tournament.
On the one hand, you have England, who seem to have finally found a cohesive and fully-functioning limited-overs team (or any form of the game, period). Michael Lumb and Craig Kieswetter have yet to make any big scores, but their opening partnerships have provided a solid base for the rest of England's batsmen to capitalize on. To that effect, neither Kevin Pietersen nor Eoin Morgan have disappointed - Morgan's innovation and powerful hitting has significantly impressed, and Pietersen is living up to the hype, as he always does. In the semi-final game against Sri Lanka, he showed no jetlag or distraction after returning from the birth of his first child, and a World Cup final against Australia is the kind of stage that he was made for. Paul Collingwood is yet to find his form with the bat, but his bowling and fielding has restricted opposing teams from running away with the game. On the bowling front, Tim Bresnan and Ryan Sidebottom have felled Pakistan and Sri Lanka, last year's respective champions and finalists, while Graeme Swann has shown he can well adapt his game to the shorter forms.
On the other hand, you've got Australia - and were it not for Michael Hussey playing one of the greatest innings ever, you'd be looking at Pakistan, instead. David Warner and Shane Watson have traumatized bowling attacks, while Cameron White and the Hussey brothers have been even less merciful. Like his captain counterpart, Michael Clarke is searching for form, and may be the one weak link in the Australian lineup. Steve Smith is being spoken of as the spin weapon for the next Ashes series, and Dirk Nannes, Shaun Tait and Mitchell Johnson will be licking their lips at the prospect of a bouncy Barbados wicket.
Ironically, the form book favors England, but that might work against them - they were only really tested in the game against Ireland (which was unfortunately cut short due to rain), and held their nerve in a tight run-chase against New Zealand. Australia have been on the ropes on three occasions - 67/5 against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, recovering both times to win each game. And, of course, the game against Pakistan, in which Michael Hussey played an impossible innings to take his team to victory. The adrenaline would still be pumping by the time Clarke and Collingwood walk out for the toss, and Collingwood will be very aware that Australia are not beaten until the final ball is bowled, the final run is scored or the final wicket falls. Clarke will know that England bring their best game against his team, and that when it matters the most - defending the Ashes, for example - England have triumphed.
My heart says England, my head says Australia. If Australia's semi-final victory over Pakistan had been a comfortable one, I would have tapped England to win the World Cup; but such was the audacity and sheer nerve of the run chase in the semi-final, I have to believe the force is with the Aussies. After winning a game they had no logical right to win, one wonders if there is anything they can't do. England may be a well-oiled machine, but Australia have the X factor - call it luck, fate, or just an unquenchable desire to win. The first Twenty20 World Cup gave us an India/Pakistan final; the third has given us an England/Australia final. It can't get any better than this.