The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 has reached its concluding stage, with Pakistan and England all set to face each other in the highly-anticipated final at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday.
Pakistan and England have previously won the T20 World Cups, so they are familiar with the process and know what it takes to win the summit clash. While Pakistan won the prestigious trophy in 2009, the English side emerged victorious in 2010.
Ahead of the high-octane clash, many experts have revealed their picks regarding who can lift the trophy this year. Cricket legends Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara have also given their prediction for the final game.
Both Lara and Sachin were asked to predict the winner of the grand finale in Melbourne. While Lara went with Babar Azam’s Pakistan, Tendulkar picked the Jos Buttler-led England to win the 2022 T20 World Cup title.
“I think Pakistan has the better team in terms of individual players. England has played very well-structured cricket, but I would like to see the trophy stay in Asia,” said Lara during the conversation at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit 2022.
Tendulkar, on the other hand, had a different view as he reckoned that Buttler & Co. will make full use of the ground dimensions. The Master Blaster admitted though the momentum is with Pakistan, the Three Lions can get the better of the Men in Green.
“I think, looking at the ground dimensions, it’s got to be England. I differ a little bit. Yes, the momentum is with Pakistan. They are kind of peaking at the right time, but maybe England might get them to play square of the wicket where in Melbourne, the boundaries are longer. The straighter boundaries are short. Each ground’s dimension is different. In Adelaide, you have short square boundaries and reasonably longer straight boundaries. So I have this feeling that upfront the new ball they will get to swing, and later on, they will go short of length, forcing them to play square of the ground,” said Tendulkar.
