After all the focus on ODIs in 2023, the shortest format is back to hog the limelight this year as the T20 World Cup is scheduled to happen this year. Tentatilvely, the ICC has decided to stage the tournament from June 4 to June 30 in the West Indies and the USA. The schedule for the competition is yet to be finalised but former England captain Nasser Hussain has already predicted the finalists and the eventual winners of the World Cup.
Interestingly, he has noted England's poor form on the field in white-ball cricket and while he reckons that the defending champions can make it to the final, Hussain feels they will end as the runners-up. The renowned cricketer and now the commentator has picked South Africa as the favourites to win their first ever World Cup trophy in history. For the unversed, England won the previous edition of the tournament beating Pakistan in the final.
"I haven't thought too much about this actually...but I'm going to go with South Africa. England are (reigning) champions, but not playing particularly well at the moment. It's in the Caribbean and West Indies are going OK, then you have Pakistan, so can I choose all of these sides? I'm going to go for South Africa versus England in the final," Hussain said as part of the Coke Believing is Magic series.
He noted that the emergence of SA20 has given an edge to their players and also remembered South Africa's exceptional show in the ODI World Cup in India last year during their run to the semi-finals before losing to Australia. "I think their (domestic) SA20 competition has really elevated some of their players and they have now got that depth and that class and that talent.
"I don't know where he is with his injury at the moment, but someone like Anrich Nortje is what they were missing maybe in those vital games, towards the end of the World Cup. So I think maybe if Nortje can get fit for the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and with their dynamic batting line-up, I'm going to look for South Africa," he further added.
