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Former England batter Kevin Pietersen believes Australia are clear favorites going into the summit clash of the 2021 T20 World Cup against New Zealand. He explained the reason behind his pick by referencing the history between the two sides in a major final.
The 2010 T20 World Cup winner then reckoned that even though New Zealand have all bases covered, beating a team like Australia in the final might be an uphill task 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 put on strong performances against Pakistan and England respectively in the 2021 T20 World Cup semi-finals. Fans can expect an entertaining contest in the final.
"It’s the Australian way that when it’s do or die, they do" - Kevin Pietersen on Australia's chances in the 2021 T20 World Cup
Kevin Pietersen also praised the Australian cricket team's habit of getting the job done more often than not when in a do-or-die situation. He used David Warner's form coming into the 2021 T20 World Cup to explain his stance on the matter. 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."
He continued:
"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."
David Warner has been instrumental with the bat for Australia and is one of the major reasons behind his team's journey to the final. Across six games, Warner has scored 236 runs and is the fourth-highest scorer in the 2021 T20 World Cup at the moment.
