T20 World Cup 2022: “Wouldn’t you love another India-Pakistan final?” - Danny Morrison reckons clash of arch-rivals would be the dream finale
Former New Zealand fast bowler Danny Morrison feels that an India-Pakistan clash would be the dream final in the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022. He also stated that defending champions Australia must make the semi-finals for greater excitement in the knockouts.
While India are on top of the Group 2 points table, Pakistan find themselves in a precarious position following losses to the Men in Blue and Zimbabwe. Hosts Australia’s qualification for the semis from Group 1 has also hit a roadblock. After a 89-run defeat against New Zealand, their match against England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) got washed out, reducing the impact of their seven-wicket triumph over Sri Lanka.
Morrison reckons that, apart from India, both Pakistan and Australia need to reach the final four for the sake of the tournament. He told Sportskeeda:
“The tournament needs the Aussies to get to the last four because they are the hosts and everything. Then, you’ve got India. Pakistan, can they make it to the top four? They had a hiccup against Zimbabwe. Wouldn’t you love another India-Pakistan final? Wouldn’t that be huge, like 2007? That was a very good tournament.
“That (India vs Pakistan) would be a dream final, the sequel to what happened just the other day (at MCG in the Super 12 match).”
Two contrasting emotions.
#India #Pakistan #INDvPAK #ViratKohli𓃵 https://t.co/qsnSRaERmo
India beat Pakistan by four wickets in the Super 12 contest on October 23. In a thrilling encounter, the Men in Blue chased down 160 off the last ball courtesy if a superb 82* off 53 balls from Virat Kohli.
“The upsets have been great” - Morrison on the quality of cricket in the T20 World Cup so far
Asked if the current edition has the potential to be the best T20 World Cup ever, Morrison agreed that the conditions are in favor of producing a very good tournament. He, however, cautioned that it is too early to arrive at a conclusion. The 56-year-old stated:
“I think the conditions are great in terms of being a very good T20 World Cup. This is the eighth edition, the jury is still out. There are still question marks. The upsets have been great. That tends to happen in ICC T20 World Cups. Have really enjoyed that.”
One of the reasons the ongoing T20 World Cup has produced exciting matches has been because of the sporting pitches. Asked about the same, Morrison explained:
“In Australia, you have got hard soil, and you tend to have very good consistent weather. At the moment, with this T20 World Cup, it’s not. There’s been a lot of rain around, weather patterns are changing. It’s been a bit frustrating in that regard. Having said that, drop-in pitches in Perth and Melbourne have been very good and hard.”
Meanwhile, Sunday, October 30, will see a triple-header. While Bangladesh are facing Zimbabwe in Brisbane, Pakistan will meet the Netherlands in Perth. The third game of the day will be between India and South Africa at the same venue.