Australia will beat India in T20 World Cup final, predicts Ricky Ponting
Defending champions Australia will beat India in the finals of the T20 World Cup to lift the trophy, predicted two-time World Cup winning skipper Ricky Ponting.
The 47-year-old has selected Australia and India as the event’s finalists.
Later this year in Australia, the T20 World Cup is slated to take place in October and November.
“I think India and Australia will be the two playing in the final and I will just have to say that Australia will beat them in the final,” Ponting said during the latest episode of The ICC Review.
“The reigning champions have got home conditions and that was one thing that made Australia’s win in the last World Cup, not remarkable but that little bit sweeter for them.
“The fact that a lot of people, me included, thought when they went to UAE. The conditions that they were going to have to face on the back of the IPL. I thought the conditions might have been the thing that might not have allowed them to win it. But they found a way.”
Matthew Mott, the coach of England’s white-ball squad, has an outstanding track record with Australia’s women’s team. And Ponting thinks the English team will also be competitive at the championship game.
“I actually think England are an outstanding white-ball team. And they have an outstanding white-ball set-up,” Ponting said.
“I just think the three teams on paper that look to have the most class and the most match-winners are India, Australia and England.”
However, the former captain thinks Babar Azam will be the one to decide Pakistan’s fate.
“If Babar doesn’t have a great tournament, I don’t think they can win,” Ponting said.
“I saw him up close and personal a couple of years ago out here in a Test series against Australia. And I said it then, I thought the sky was the limit for this guy as far as Test match batting. And, if anything, he’s probably got better and better in the last couple of years.
“Their openers are very important and their new-ball bowlers are very important. But that role of the spin bowler in Australia might be a little bit more difficult. With wickets that probably won’t give them assistance.”
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