As tight as the CricInfo Women's World Cup final is expected to be on Saturday, an equally close contest is on for the CricInfo Player of the Tournament award.

This award is based on points for players of the match awarded after every game by the umpires on duty.

Out in front with 11 points is Australian opener Lisa Keightley. But still within striking distance in the final are her team-mate Karen Rolton and New Zealand opener Anna O'Leary, both on nine points. With points awarded on the basis of 3-2-1, they are the only three players in contention for the CricInfo Trophy, a scale version of the tournament trophy.

The closeness in the CricInfo Player of the Tournament battle reflects the closeness between the two teams in other statistical areas.

The Australian top order batting dominance of the preliminary rounds of the tournament can be seen with Karen Rolton heading the run scoring list with 392 runs, including a world record fastest century by a woman. Opener Lisa Keightley may not have had the big innings that Rolton has enjoyed but she has scored 375 runs.

Belinda Clark's late run of form has brought 260 runs.

However, ahead of her on the tournament list was Emily Drumm, who missed two games with an arm injury, on 318 runs and Anna O'Leary on 307. Supporting the two leading players were Haidee Tiffen 173 and Rebecca Rolls 160.

Rolton also dominates the best averages in the tournament with 196.0 and Keightley is again behind her with 93.75. Again Drumm on 79.5 and O'Leary 61.4 are next on the list. Tiffen, on 57.66, heads off Clark on 52.0 while Paula Flannery on 50.5 is just ahead of Zoe Goss, 49.0, and Olivia Magno 47.0.

The batting strike rate throws up some statistical oddities. Australia's Cathryn Fitzpatrick heads the list with a strike rate of 180.0 while Rolton is next on 107.98. But then comes Catherine Campbell of New Zealand, whose one run of the tournament has her hitting at 100.0.

Rebecca Rolls, running into form at the top of the order, is next on 98.76 while Australia's Therese McGregor is on 91.30. Significantly for New Zealand, Haidee Tiffen (86.06), Emily Drumm (85.02), Clare Nicholson (82.60) and Nicky Payne (75.00) all come in before Olivia Magno (74.60) while Rachel Pullar rounds out the New Zealand effort on 73.33.

Australia has a slight lead with its bowling strike force. Charmaine Mason has taken 15 wickets in the tournament with Avril Fahey second with 12. Katrina Keenan with 10 and Kathryn Ramel nine are New Zealand's best while both teams have two bowlers with eight wickets. McGregor and Fitzpatrick for Australia and Helen Watson and Tiffen for New Zealand.

Australia's Joanne Broadbent, who has been frustrated by injury, had the best tournament average with her one wicket costing 3.0 but Watson, for New Zealand, was next in line with 7.75 runs for each of her eight wickets. Goss and Mason then had 8.66 and 10.20 respectively for Australia while Erin McDonald and Keenan had 10.66 and 10.80 for New Zealand.

The economy rate was similarly even. Broadbent was at 0.75 while Keenan had a rate of 1.83, Goss on 1.96, McDonald on 2.00, Julie Hayes on 2.22, Nicholson 2.29, Hockley 2.33 and McGregor on 2.45 were all intermingled.

Watson dominated the strike rate on 17.0 while Fahey was on 20.5. Broadbent was on 24.0 and Mason 24.2, Goss 26.5 and Louise Broadfoot on 30.0.

It is a fascinating aspect to the final that the two teams should be closely linked statistically and backs up the claim that it is the side that blinks first that may find itself on the losing end of the match.

© CricInfo