Former skipper Daren Sammy has tipped defending champions West Indies as firm favourites to clinch the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup title.
According to Sammy, the Caribbean side has depth in their squad and have all bases covered for the marquee event, slated to be held in UAE and Oman from October 17 to November 14.
“It’s a no brainer for me — West Indies all the way,” said Sammy in an ICC Digital Show.
“When you look at West Indies, and people might say I’m sounding biased, but in the last four (three) tournaments we’ve managed to get to the final four, winning two out of that,” he added.
“Our players, the calibre of players we have — when you look at captain Pollard, he’s back, the Universe Boss Chris Gayle, Andre Russell, Jason Holder, Fabian Allen, Evin Lewis, I could go on a long list of guys who can just take the attack to you.”
Sammy also expects England and Australia to do well in the global tournament.
“When you look at England, who have been playing some excellent T20 cricket — finalists in the last one (Men’s T20 World Cup) in 2016, they won it in the Caribbean.
“To me what that says, two venues where the pitches are similar — India and the Caribbean — they’ve won and they’ve got to the final, so their players adjust to the conditions quite well,” he opined.
“You look at Australia who have not gotten their hands on this silverware, they’ll be desperate to get it. The calibre of players they have — so many players who play in the IPL — who understand the conditions.”
Sammy expects Russell to be the Player-of-the-Tournament at T20 World Cup 2021.
“Someone batting in the top three should get the most runs. You speak of someone like a Virat Kohli. But getting the most runs doesn’t necessarily mean that your team wins the tournament.
“I’m more interested in who is going to be the ‘Player of the Tournament’. Somebody like an Andre Russell, who bowls and bats and comes in at crucial times, will come out with that title.”
For the T20 World Cup, West Indies are placed in Group 1 alongside England, Australia, South Africa and the two qualifiers from Round 1.
On the other hand, India and Pakistan feature in Group 2 along with New Zealand, Afghanistan and the two qualifiers from Round 1.
(With PTI inputs)
