T20 World Cup 2021: Kevin Pietersen predicts the winner of the tournament

T20 World Cup 2021: Kevin Pietersen predicts the winner of the tournament

Kevin Pietersen picks his favourites between Australia and New Zealand

The 2021 ICC T20 World Cup is set to be a Trans-Tasman affair as Australia and New Zealand are set to lock horns on Sunday. Meanwhile, former England batter Kevin Pietersen has picked the kangaroos as favourites to lift the trophy for the first time in the tournament’s history.

He talked about the rivalry of these two sides while citing the example of the 2015 World Cup final where the kangaroos registered a one-sided triumph. Coming to the ongoing tournament, Aaron Finch and Co beat Pakistan while the Kane Williamson-led side defeated England in their respective semi-final matches.

“New Zealand seem to have all bases covered, but I fancy Australia,” Kevin Pietersen said in an interaction with Betway. 

“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,” he added.

“David Warner showed his class in T20 WC despite poor run in IPL” 

David Warner
David Warner

The return in form of opening batter David Warner turned out to be a major relief for the ‘Men in Yellow’. The southpaw had miserably struggled in the recently-concluded edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) while playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

“It’s the Australian way that when it is ‘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,” Pietersen stated.

“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,” Pietersen added. “He’s shown his class in this competition when his team needed him most. It’s not a coincidence.”

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