T20 World Cup 2021: "I think England have a slight advantage over the West Indies" - Sanjay Manjrekar ahead of today's clash between the two sides
Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar reckons that Eoin Morgan's side have a slight advantage over the West Indies in today's clash. This will be both teams' first encounter in the T20 World Cup 2021.
The 56-year-old believes that England is a formidable and consistent side, unlike Pollard and Co., who are an unpredictable team of sorts.
While previewing today's match, Manjrekar posted a video on his official Instagram account. You can watch the video below:
Manjrekar mentioned that the English side have terrific batters at the top. He opined that if Eoin Morgan, who has been in dismal form off late, finds his form, the batting line-up will look even more lethal. The 56-year-old said:
"With Roy, Buttler, Malan and Bairstow, their batting looks terrific. But if Morgan finds his form, their batting looks more lethal. So if I had to pick one team, I would pick England. I think they are a little more predictable and have a slight advantage over West Indies."
The former cricketer also elucidated that some English players who were part of the IPL in the UAE, will play to their advantage.
"And some of their key players (English) recently played in the IPL 2021, so they are used to conditions in the UAE."
Manjrekar picks his players to watch out for in the Eng-WI clash
Manjrekar also picked five players from both England and West Indies to watch out for in the second game of Saturday's double-header.
He picked two explosive English batters in Johnny Bairstow and Jos Buttler. Then the 56-year-old picked Dawid Malan as his third player to watch out for against the Caribbean. He reckons that the left-hander is the kind of batter who can be handy on the sluggish pitches in the UAE. He said:
"I'm going to go with Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler and Dawid Malan because Malan is the player you want to have on these kind of pitches in the UAE."
Manjrekar then chose all-rounder Moeen Ali and speedster Mark Wood as his last two players to watch out for.
"Moeen Ali based on his recent form. I'm going to go with Mark Wood because bowlers with extra pace have done well in the UAE."
Roston Chase has a good temperament and I expect him to do well in all three departments: Sanjay Manjrekar
Barbados-born all-rounder Roston Chase was Manjrekar's first choice from the Caribbean team. The former Indian cricketer lauded Chase for his temperament and skills in the shortest format of the game. Andre Russell and Bravo were his next two choices.
"Players to watch out for from West Indies. The first player that I would pick is Roston Chase. He has an excellent temperament and has discovered the confidence and skills required in the T20. So I expect to make a contribution in all the departments. My next two picks will be Andre Russell and Dwayne Bravo - the bowler. "
Manjrekar concluded his video by choosing West Indies skipper Kieron Pollard and seamer Ravi Rampaul as his last two players to watch out for. He opined that the experience of Ravi Rampaul might come in handy for the defending champions.
"Pollard - the captain, the batsman, and the medium pacer who can bowl a few overs as well. My last pick would be Ravi Rampaul just because of the experience he has in bowling on these pitches. He bowls using his mind and doesn't just go out there bowling for power "
The Pollard-led side will commence their title defense against the 50-over World Champions on October 23 in Dubai.