T20 World Cup | History suggests Australia blows New Zealand away in an ICC event final, says Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Pietersen has said that the history between Australia and New Zealand in an ICC tournament final suggests that the Kangaroos will blow the Kiwis away. The Kane Williamson-led and Aaron Finch-led sides will lock horns to win their first ever T20 World Cup trophy since 2007 on Sunday in Dubai.
The two teams faced each other for the first time in an ICC final was in the 2009 Champions Trophy where Australia defeated New Zealand by six wickets. Six years later, both the teams played the final of the 2015 ODI World Cup. Once again, the Aussies got the better of their neighbours as they beat New Zealand by seven wickets. After six years, both teams are once again fighting for another ICC trophy.
Meanwhile, Kevin Pietersen feels that the New Zealand have their bases covered but predicted that Australia will blow the Kiwis away.Â
"New Zealand seems to have all the 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. That’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," Kevin Pietersen wrote in his blog for Betway.
Pietersen added that the do-or-die attitude has made them a formidable side over the years.Â
"It’s the Australian way that when it’s done or die, they do. They’ll just get the job done. That’s why they’ve been formidable opponents for such a long time. If they get themselves into a semi-final of a major tournament, they’ll find something extra," Pietersen added.
The former England captain also praised opener David Warner for the way he has performed for his team in the tournament after going through the lows of IPL 2021.Â
"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," the 41-year-old cocluded.Â