Erasmus and Dharmasena had served as the on-field umpires during the first semi-final at Abu Dhabi, where New Zealand defeated England by five wickets to cruise into their first final appearance of the mega event. Kettleborough had been the on-field umpire alongside Chris Gaffaney in the second semi-final at Dubai, where Australia stormed to their third final appearance of the showpiece event, stunning Pakistan by five wickets.
Both Australia and New Zealand entered the knockout stage after finishing second in Group 1 and Group 2 of the Super 12 stage.
