Former England captain Nasser Hussain has shared his predictions for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, scheduled to take place in the West Indies and the USA from June onwards. Hussain, anticipating a competitive final, believes England, led by influential skipper Jos Buttler, has the potential to secure back-to-back titles. However, he has identified South Africa as a possible surprise package and the contender to lift the trophy.
“I have not thought too much about this actually…but I am going to go with South Africa,” stated Hussain speaking to ICC, acknowledging England’s current struggles and the competitive nature of teams like the West Indies and Pakistan. “I am going to go for South Africa versus England in the final,” he added.
Hussain highlighted South Africa’s impressive performance in the recent ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in India and pointed to the potential return of key pace bowlers Anrich Nortje and Sisanda Magala as factors that could boost South Africa’s chances in the T20 World Cup. He also credited the impact of South Africa’s domestic T20 competition, SA20, in enhancing the team’s overall performance.
“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,” commented Hussain.
Regarding the Player of the Tournament, Hussain singled out India’s Suryakumar Yadav as the standout performer to watch. He praised Yadav’s T20 prowess, describing him as a “freak” in a positive sense and emphasizing his exceptional shot selection and understanding of the T20 format.
“The person for the world to watch out for at the moment in T20 is Suryakumar Yadav,” Hussain declared. “But in T20 cricket, he absolutely knows what to do every single time almost, and it is a fun game, T20 cricket, and watching SKY, that is absolutely fun,” he concluded. However, in a major blow for India, Suryakumar’s participation still hangs by a thread.
