Graham Alan Gooch, among the all-time great openers and a former captain of England, spoke to The Telegraph on Saturday.

Gooch, now 65, has also served as an England selector and a batting consultant/ coach.

Excerpts...

Q After 1979, 1987 and 1992 will it be fourth time lucky for England?

A (Laughs) Hope so, for I’m not playing on Sunday! Some have, over the years, regarded me as somewhat of a bad omen. Yet, others have been rather complimentary, that England made three out of the four finals in a row because I’d been there! Whatever, look, if England reproduce Thursday’s form in Birmingham then they will be hard to beat. However, New Zealand need to be respected, as it’s their second final in succession... I feel it’s 60-40 in England’s favour. They have good opening batsmen and good opening bowlers. To win, you need to be strong in both areas.

Q England had been amazing in the semi-final against Australia. What would you say?

A They played out of their skins, didn’t they? England shouldn’t turn cautious in the final.

Q You’d been the captain in 1992, but it took England nearly 10,000 days to again make the final... Why so long?

A In 1992, we were as good as any team, it’s just that we fell short in the final against Imran Khan’s Pakistan. After that, we’ve had average teams, to be honest, leading to this drought.

Q Who gets the credit for a dramatic shift in the way England have been playing ODIs in recent years?

A Andrew Strauss deserves a lot of credit, as does captain Eoin Morgan. Strauss put together a plan after the 2015 World Cup, got the right personnel on board and made people embrace an aggressive, attractive brand of cricket.

Q So, who starts the favourite at Lord’s — England or New Zealand?

A If the weather holds good and it’s a flat wicket, England would be very happy. Overcast conditions, with the ball doing a bit, isn’t something England would look forward to. New Zealand will be hoping for a low-scoring final... On paper, England are the better team, but cricket matches are not won on paper. While England have the better team, that’s no guarantee they will play their A game at Lord’s. Nobody should be under the impression that New Zealand aren’t a capable team. Nobody should discount Trent Boult’s presence and Kane Williamson’s captaincy. India, after all, got surprised in Manchester.

Q Your take on Morgan’s England?

A England have a very strong line-up... There’s talent, experience and variety. Barring Jofra Archer, who only made his debut in the weeks before the World Cup, there’s plenty of experience. Jofra has, of course, given another dimension to England’s attack. He’s a 90 mph bowler and any captain would love to have somebody with that speed and consistency in his team. England bat attractively, field well and can bowl teams out. I can’t find a fault.

Q No weakness, therefore?

A England don’t like it when the ball either turns a lot or swings a lot. The style of this England team is to be very aggressive, but there are times when you have to respect the conditions. You play according to the situation... England don’t have a weakness in personnel, it’s just that certain conditions don’t give them a thrill.

Q Playing at home, pressure, expectations... Your advice for Morgan and his players?

A The pressure is like what was faced by Harry Kane’s team in last year’s football World Cup. The Media went to town proclaiming ‘The Cup is coming home’ and that sort of stuff. As it turned out, England lost in the semi-final, to Croatia. England’s cricketers have to be wary of the same high pressure and hype.

Q Initially, questions were raised about Archer...

A This is not the time to get into such things.

Q You’ve yourself been a great opener... Your views on the Jonny Bairstow-Jason Roy partnership at the top?

A Jason and Bairstow have been producing an exciting, entertaining brand of cricket. That’s what fans love to see, gives value for the money spent in coming through the turnstiles. Crowds want to see Jason and Bairstow, both of whom have played such a huge role in England getting to the final for the first time in 27 years.

Q As captain, Morgan has given England’s white-ball cricket an identity. How do you rate him?

A Morgan’s always calm, which helps when the going gets tough, and he’s a sharp student of the game. I recall taking him to India for a camp in Mumbai many years ago and found he was the serious type, wanting to learn and eager to improve. You need those qualities… Morgan, if I may add, knew where he wanted to go.

Q Williamson is New Zealand’s biggest star. They also have Boult and Ross Taylor, but that’s about it. Yet, they fight it out and are reluctant to concede space...

A They have Martin Guptill too, who hasn’t done much this time except sealing the semi-final by running out Mahendra Singh Dhoni. I see New Zealand as a very confident team, ably captained by Williamson. Then they have Boult, who is capable of knocking over a few wickets at the start of an innings.

Q Is there a chink England should look to exploit?

A New Zealand’s line-up lacks the depth England have... Just about everybody can bat in the England XI, with the exception of Mark Wood... New Zealand, I suppose, are happy mostly being the underdogs.

Q Morgan and Williamson... If you could talk on them specifically...

A Not much to choose between the two... Morgan and Williamson don’t appear to have much traffic in the head and both are students of the game... Morgan knows his players very well and has given them the license to express themselves.

Q Will the final largely be about strategies scripted by Morgan and Williamson?

A Any strategy would depend on the conditions.

Q With just a day remaining for the 2019 World Cup to end, who have been the players to catch your eye?

A Quite a few batsmen, including Rohit Sharma. Five hundreds in a single World Cup is quite astounding... Among bowlers, Mitchell Starc, Jasprit Bumrah and Boult... It’s hard to defend totals in white-ball cricket unless you bowl the opposition out, like New Zealand did in the semi-final. That’s why, in franchisee cricket, strike bowlers go for a hefty fee.

Q No.1 memory?

A England’s intent in the semi-final... The exhilarating free-scoring manner of Jason and Bairstow.

Q One more... India’s performance in this World Cup...

A Till Day II of the semi-final, India played outstanding cricket. Virat Kohli captained them very well too.