It is not just another game — it is the ICC World T20 2016 final. England and West Indies will lock horns Sunday at the Eden Gardens to take a shy at the silverware.
Battles are won when they are fought hard. And this final between England and West Indies is going to be one of those. Fans will be kept on the edge of their seats and will be chewing off the last bit of their nails as this surely is going to be one heck of an encounter.
Let us take a look at some of the key battles:
Chris Gayle vs Chris Jordan: Gayle, as we all know, is a destructive opening batsman, and if he manages to wreak yet more havoc, England will have to go home without the trophy. Yes, that's the kind of impact Gayle can make in this format of the game. In order to counter Gayle's brute force, Jordan needs to unleash his swinging yorkers just like Jasprit Bumrah did in the semifinal against West Indies. Jordan can bowl those yorkers at will and that too with accuracy, and no other delivery is as good as a yorker.
Andre Russell vs Adil Rashid: "Dre Russ," as he is popularly known, is a big hitter of the cricket ball. He can be really destructive if he starts middling the ball. Rashid is probably one of the most intelligent bowlers in that England line-up, and can fox Russell with his flippers and googlies. Russell likes to clear the boundaries with ease and Rashid likes to pick up wickets. This is going to be an interesting encounter.
Jason Roy vs Dwayne Bravo: Roy has been one of the revelations for England at the top of the order. He has been providing England with the kind of start they need in this format of the game. He almost single-handedly drove England home against New Zealand in the semifinal with this blistering knock of 78 runs from just 44 balls. Bravo will have to answer this Roy situation. No other bowler bowls those slower balls as good as he does. He has the ability to stun the best in the business with his roll of fingers. Roy is an innovative cricketer, and so is Bravo. This will be a good contest.
Jos Buttler vs Samuel Badree: Buttler just loves hitting the cricket ball. He has been in real good form and can cause some serious problems for West Indies. Badree needs to step up to stop Buttler from hitting those monstrous sixes. Badree has been superb in this tournament and will look to continue with his good run of form against England as well.
