Every team is majorly focusing on the upcoming T20 World Cup 2021, scheduled to take place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman from October 17 to November 14. The global showpiece event was originally scheduled to occur in India, but due to COVID-19 complications, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided to shift the competition.
Many experts of the game have already started revealing their favourites for the exciting tournament. Like every edition, the top-most discussion amongst fans will be around who can lift the coveted trophy in 2021. Speaking on the red-hot topic, former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has made quite an interesting prediction concerning the winner of the T20 World Cup.
Akhtar reckoned that arch-rivals India and Pakistan would make it to the tournament’s finals, and the latter would eventually emerge victorious. Notably, India and Pakistan have been placed in the same group along with New Zealand, Afghanistan and the other two qualifiers from Round 1.
“I have a feeling Pakistan and India will play in the T20 World Cup final, and India will lose to Pakistan. Conditions in UAE will favour both India and Pakistan,” Akhtar told Sportstak.
In the same show, the ‘Rawalpindi Express’ expressed his views on how Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam can surpass Indian skipper Virat Kohli. Akhtar said that Babar needs to show supreme consistency, especially in chasing the games to match up his Indian counterpart and then decide who could be better between the two in another 10 years.
“If Babar needs to beat Virat and surpass him, he will have to score more runs chasing and play the kind of innings Kohli has. There is no doubt that Babar Azam can probably be the greatest batsman of Pakistan, but it will take time. We will judge Kohli and Babar after 10 years where they stand,” Akhtar added.
