Kamran Akmal says Pakistan has a better chance of winning 2021 T20 World Cup

Pakistani cricketer Kamran Akmal believes that his country will have an advantage over other teams in the upcoming T20 World Cup which is slated to be held in the UAE. The wicketkeeper-batsman, who plays for Peshawar Zalmi in PSL, reckons that the Pakistan cricket team will have an advantage because of familiar conditions in the UAE, where they have played most of their home matches in the past decade. Akmal believes the experience in UAE's conditions will benefit the Babar Azam-led side. 

“Pakistan should have the advantage in the T20 World Cup. We’ve played international cricket for 9 to 10 years in the UAE. That makes Pakistan the most experienced side under the conditions,” Akmal said.

'Pakistan is most experienced in the conditions'

The 39-year-old cricketer, while speaking on the YouTube channel 'My Master Cricket Coach', said Pakistan has played most of their cricket in the UAE for over a decade now, which makes it the most experienced side going into the marquee tournament. Akmal said Pakistan has better chances of winning in the UAE. As per Akmal, many foreign players will also benefit from the World T20 being held in the UAE because the Gulf nation has hosted multiple cricketing events in recent years, and foreigners have gained a lot of experience playing in the conditions.

“Not only players from India and Pakistan but from other countries will also benefit going into the T20 World Cup since a lot of them play in both PSL and IPL. Given the conditions in the UAE, Afghanistan can also prove to be a dangerous side, looking at the players that they have. So, it is difficult to pick a favourite for the T20 World Cup,” Akmal said.

A couple of days ago, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) completed hosting the remainder of its domestic T20 league in the UAE following its postponement earlier this year due to the COVID-19 protocol breach. The BCCI is also slated to host the remaining matches of its cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 edition in the UAE before the T20 World Cup. The BCCI has the hosting rights for the ICC tournament, which will likely be held after the conclusion of IPL 2021 in October. 

The T20 World Cup was originally scheduled to take place in Australia last year, however, the ICC was forced to relocate the tournament because of the COVID-19 crisis. The event was supposed to be held in India later this year, but due to the ongoing pandemic and months of deliberation, the BCCI on Monday announced its decision to move the tournament to the UAE. The decision to move the event was taken keeping in mind the health and safety concerns of all stakeholders.  

IMAGE: AP/KamranAkmal/Facebook