The T20 World Cup will be played in October-November this year in Australia and the hosts would look to defend the title after winning the tournament last year in the UAE. Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has backed the Aaron Finch-led side to win the title once again, and he also predicted Rohit Sharma-led India to make the finals of the marquee event.
“I think India and Australia will be the two playing in the final and I will just have to say that Australia will beat them in the final. The reigning champions have got home conditions and that was one thing that made Australia’s win in the last World Cup, not remarkable, but that little bit sweeter for them,” Ponting said on The ICC Review.
“The fact that a lot of people, me included, thought when they went to UAE, the conditions that they were going to have to face on the back of the IPL, I thought the conditions might have been the thing that might not have allowed them to win it. But they found a way,” he added.
Talking about England, Ponting said: “I actually think England are an outstanding white-ball team and they have an outstanding white-ball setup. I just think the three teams on paper that look to have the most class and the most match-winners are India, Australia, and England.”
Ponting also said that Pakistan cannot win the tournament if their skipper Babar Azam does not get among the runs.
“If Babar doesn’t have a great tournament, I don’t think they can win. I saw him up close and personal a couple of years ago out here in a Test series against Australia and I said it then, I thought the sky was the limit for this guy as far as Test match batting (was concerned) and, if anything, he’s probably got better and better in the last couple of years,” said Ponting.
