October 19, 2021
Former England captain Michael Vaughan does not seem to be happy with Virat Kohli-led India getting the "favourites" tag in the T20 World Cup, as he said the team had not been performing up to the mark.
"England, for me, are the favourites. I don’t know how India get the 'favourites' tag in T20 cricket. I just think they’ve been a long way off in the last few tournaments," Vaughan said while speaking to BBC Test Match Special.
"West Indies and Pakistan will be threats. I wouldn’t write off Pakistan either. New Zealand have high-class players and you know they will come up with strategies to win games," he said.
"I’ll say it now, I don’t give Australia much chance. In T20 cricket, they’ve struggled. Glenn Maxwell’s exceptional so he will have to have an incredible tournament," Vaughan said.
“But I don’t see the Aussies doing too much. England, India, West Indies, and New Zealand, one of those four and maybe Pakistan because of the conditions,” Vaughan said.
The former skipper noted that the pitches during the mega-event would also play an imperative role in the World Cup's outcome.
“The pitches will be interesting because they’ve been used and slow [during the Indian Premier League]. I think 150-160 might be defendable scores,” he said.
India will kick off their ICC mega-event campaign on October 24 against arch-rivals, Pakistan, in Dubai, with all eyes on the match — as the fixture is poised to attract millions.