The dream final: Australia vs England Print E-mail
Category: 2010 ICC World Twenty20
Written by Luke Tagg   
Wednesday, 12 May 2010 16:39
Before we get into this article as we would our favourite pair of winter socks, let me qualify the title somewhat: the dream final of the World Twenty20 would, in fact, have been South Africa vs Afghanistan. It's the only way we could ever bring home some silverware.

Now that South Africa is out of the tournament I cast my neutral eye over those still standing and come to the same conclusion as most others: England vs Australia is about as dream a final as you can get.

Not only do you have the history between both sides, and a nice little tester before the Ashes, but both sides are also playing the best T20 cricket they've ever played.

For once that's not hyperbole - it's a cold, hard fact. Australia were seeded ninth coming into this tournament (highlighting the ridiculousness of such seedings - I don't care how poorly they were performing leading up to the WT20) and England were, well England. Good for the old heave-ho on occasion and some arm-flapping by Stuart Broad, but not exactly the premier T20 side on Earth.

Both sides have been nothing short of brilliant in the World Twenty20 and it will be a travesty if the final is contested by anyone else. Both Pakistan and Sri Lanka scraped through to the semifinals on the coattails of others and the same would have been true for any other side who had made it.

England and Australia got there purely on merit, the easy way: beating everyone else. Handsomely. Regularly.

Both countries have the same winning formula: a well-balanced side, mental strength and an uncompromisingly positive outlook. That's been par for the course in Australia over the years but is a relatively new phenomenon in English cricket.

It started late last year when England turned up in South Africa with a visibly different vibe. They still didn't have the perfect balance but the positivity was there from the outset.

Now they've got the balance right and are playing with the carefree confidence so ingrained in Australian cricket. The very same confidence I've been begging for from South Africa.

South Africans still turn up with trite bullshit like "brave cricket", which is nothing more than pocket-book wisdom provided by overpaid sports psychologists who need to look good to the people who are paying them outrageous sums of money for their so-called expertise.

It's tripe. Meaningless nonsense. Embarrassing, really.

It's fake positivity and it doesn't work - clearly. If they truly believed it they wouldn't fall so short, so often.

Ultimately though, England and Australia would be nothing without the players they currently have. Bangladesh are also insanely positive, after all.

They're fortunate in that key players are in form, which always helps. If Graeme Smith, for example, had been in form South Africa's tournament could have turned out very differently. The same can be said for Brendon McCullum, Jesse Ryder, Ross Taylor, Murali Vijay, Yuvraj Singh, Kieron Pollard, Chris Gayle - the list is endless.

Having watched all the games in the WT20 this year I have to conclude that Australia has the best outfit and are favourites to win it. The only way to beat them is to take the fight to them and England are about the only side capable of doing that right now.

Of course, any side can lose it on the day, which makes me nervous ahead of the semis. I really want an Australia vs England final.
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