England captain Jos Buttler has asserted that his team will make every effort to avoid an India-Pakistan final at this year's T20 World Cup.
India vs Pakistan has been regarded as a showpiece fixture in world cricket, with massive crowds flocking to the stadium to see the game. The viewership ratings for the showdown between the arch-rivals are likewise high.
Former cricketers such as Shoaib Akhtar have also publicly acknowledged that they hope to see the Asian titans in this year's tournament final.
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“Hopefully, India and Pakistan don’t return home after the semi-finals. I want to watch an India-Pakistan final. The broadcasters and the ICC will have the most fun if this happens,” said Akhtar.
Buttler, on the other hand, isn't thrilled with the prospect of an India-Pakistan final in this year's T20 World Cup. The England captain said during the pre-match press conference that his side does not want to see both teams competing for the trophy and will strive to avoid a recurrence of 2007.
"Well, we certainly don’t want to see an India-Pakistan final. So, we’ll be trying all we can do to make sure that doesn’t happen," said Buttler.
Buttler was asked if India's aura had faded in knockout games, to which the England captain said that it had not. According to the wicketkeeper, Indian team has been consistently successful and have some outstanding players in their squad.
"Not at all. I think India is a very very strong team. I think Indian teams have been consistently strong for a long period of time and naturally so with the amount of depth and talent. So, there are some fantastic players in their lineup. You get to a semi-final of any competition you expect to be playing against a very tough team and India will certainly be that," said Buttler.
The Men in Blue will face England in Adelaide on November 10, with the target of advancing to the T20 World Cup final, which will be held in Melbourne on November 13, Sunday.
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