Former England player Kevin Pietersen said that Australia are the clear favourites in the final of the 2021 T20 World Cup against New Zealand. He revealed the reason behind this by referencing the history between the two teams as well.
The 2010 T20 World Cup winner then stated that even though New Zealand have all bases covered, defeating a team like Australia in the final might be tough for them. In his blog for Betway, Kevin Pietersen wrote:
“New Zealand seem to have all bases covered, but I fancy Australia. History suggests that when you get these two together in a major final, the Aussies blow the Kiwis away. It’s what happened in the 2015 50-over final in Melbourne. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see Australia lift the trophy on Sunday.”
Both Australia and New Zealand performed well against Pakistan and England respectively in the 2021 T20 World Cup semi-finals and fans can expect a nail-biting final as well.
“When it’s do or die, they do” – Kevin Pietersen on Australia
However, Kevin Pietersen also applauded the Australian cricket team’s habit of stepping up a do-or-die situation. He gave the example of David Warner’s form coming into the 2021 T20 World Cup to explain his point as well. He wrote:
“It’s the Australian way that when it’s do or die, they do. They’ll just get the job done. That’s why they’ve been a formidable opponent for such a long time. If they get themselves into a semi-final of a major tournament, they’ll find something extra.”
“David Warner is a great example of that. People like to cut sportspeople down very quickly after a bad run – and make no mistake, Warner was struggling with Sunrisers Hyderabad during the IPL – but he hasn’t had the success he’s had because he’s a rubbish player. He’s shown his class in this competition when his team needed him most. It’s not a coincidence,” Kevin Pietersen concluded.
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