The Black Caps will contest a second straight final as underdogs thanks in no small part to their captain, whose measured leadership has been almost as impressive as his 548 runs, scored at a tournament-best average of 91.33.

Victory over India in an attritional semi-final at Edgbaston dragged New Zealand out of a mid-tournament slump that brought three straight defeats, the last of them a 119-run hammering at the hands of Sunday’s opponents.

“But it’s a really exciting, special occasion and I think both teams will be savouring the opportunity to be where we are at the moment.”