3 bold predictions for ICC T20 World Cup 2021
Cricket
Afghanistan will be the dark horses in Group 2 of the Super 12 stage. The Rashid Khan-led outfit finds itself in a group with India, Pakistan and New Zealand. The other two teams that will join the group later should not trouble Afghanistan much.
Afghanistan a top contender for the T20 World Cup semi-finals
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However, they will have to perform well against India, Pakistan and New Zealand to strengthen their chances of qualifying for the semi-finals. Afghanistan has got what it takes to succeed in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2021.
Most importantly, the matches will happen in the UAE, a country where Afghanistan has played a lot of cricket. Fans should note Afghanistan was the only team to beat the West Indies in the previous edition of the ICC T20 World Cup. Hence, they should expect a few surprises in Group 2.
Australia has won five 50-over World Cup events, but the Aussies are yet to capture the ICC T20 World Cup. They qualified for the summit clash of the 2010 T20 World Cup. However, arch-rivals England did not allow them to win the trophy.
Australia to struggle to qualify for the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup
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In the previous edition of the tournament, Australia failed to qualify for the semi-finals. They were in a group with India, New Zealand, Bangladesh and Pakistan. This year, the organizers have grouped the Aussies with defending champions West Indies, England and the dangerous South African side.
Looking at Australia's recent shortcomings in the T20I arena, it should not be a surprise if they miss out on a place in the semi-finals yet again. The Australian line-up does not look strong enough to give its Group 1 rivals a tough time, having lost the T20 series against West Indies recently.
As mentioned ahead, India, England and the West Indies are the top three contenders for the ICC T20 World Cup title. Hosts India are most likely to face England or the Caribbean side in the knockout phase of the World Cup competition.
Virat Kohli to end his trophy drought with the T20 World Cup triumph
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Since Indian cricketers have played a lot of cricket in the UAE over the last two years, they will have the upper hand. The likes of KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shreyas Iyer and Virat Kohli performed brilliantly in the IPL 2020 in the UAE.
Fans can expect Virat Kohli and his team to end a 14-year wait for the ICC T20 World Cup trophy by winning the championship in the Middle East. Team India were winners of the inaugural T20 World Cup under former skipper MS Dhoni way back in 2007.