Former England player Michael Atherton says that he is looking forward to a fascinating World Test Championship (WTC 2021) Final clash between India and New Zealand.
Both Team India and New Zealand will clash in the final of the inaugural edition of the ICC World Test Championship, to be played at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton from June 18.
Team India is currently involved in an intra-squad practice match in their lead-up to the WTC final while New Zealand is well prepared, after having crushed England in the second Test of the two-match series in Edgbaston and winning the series 1-0.
With less than one week remaining for the WTC 2021 Final, former England captain Michael Atherton feels that the WTC final would be a fascinating contest as both India and New Zealand possess tremendous strength and depth.
"It's a fascinating contest in all kinds of ways. Two top-notch sides. Both of them have tremendous strength and depth. Therefore, they will be wondering how to get 11 players on the park because they can easily pick any one of 15 or 16," Michael Atherton told Sky Sports.
Atherton anticipated the WTC final as a David vs Goliath contest and a 'clash of cultures' implying the contrast in the resources of both the teams.
"For me, the fascination is the David and Goliath aspect to it. A country of a billion people sells their TV rights for billions of dollars, and a country of 5 million and they probably earn about 15 million dollars in TV rights. So it's a real clash of contrast in cultures. It's absolutely fascinating, I am really looking forward to it," he said.
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Michael Atherton further said that New Zealand will celebrate their first Test win in England since 1999 well before turning their attention to the WTC final.
"They were recently ranked the No. 1 side and they are playing the final on Friday against India. These wins come along rarely though for New Zealand. It took them 56 years to win their first series in England. While they would have their eyes on Friday, this is a significant moment for New Zealand as well," he said.
(Sky Sports inputs)
