ICC WTC Final: Michael Vaughan Picks Three Players To Watch Out; Names Two Kiwi Cricketers

Former England captain Michael Vaughan has named three players to watch out for in the ICC World Test Championship final between India and New Zealand. India and New Zealand will lock horns in the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship final in Southampton, beginning on the 18th of June. However, amongst the three players, Michael Vaughan notably picked only one Indian.

India are currently leading the ICC World Test Championship’s points table with 520 points in their kitty, followed by New Zealand, who are 100 points away. Having beaten England and Australia in their last two Test series, Virat Kohli’s men are high on confidence and have momentum on their side. But New Zealand have enjoyed an upper hand over India in the recent past. The Kiwis stunned in the 2019 ICC World Cup semi-final and handed a crushing defeat the last time both sides played a Test series.

Michael Vaughan began with Kyle Jamieson, who he said had an outstanding start to his Test career. Next, the 46-year picked Rishabh Pant as the only Indian player as he earmarked him as a game-changer due to his recent exploits in England and Australia. Vaughan concluded by naming BJ Watling, who will retire from international cricket after the ICC World Test Championship final.

“First is Kyle Jamieson as he’s had a magnificent start to his Test career. Next is Rishabh Pant as he’s the star of the world game. He has been incredible over the last few months, especially against Australia and England. Next, I’ll go with BJ Watling in his swansong as he’s been a fantastic servant for New Zealand cricket,” Vaughan told Crictracker.

The Hundred is going to be the next big thing in world cricket: Michael Vaughan

Michael Vaughan also does not seem to understand the criticism behind the concept of The Hundred. The 2005 Ashes-winning captain loves T20 cricket and the excitement around it, but he feels that it takes a lot of time to complete the fixtures. Thus, Vaughan backs The Hundred to be the next big thing in cricket.

“The Hundred had a lot of criticism. I love T20 cricket; great razzmatazz, but it goes on for too long; there’s time-outs; there’s too much talking in between balls and it goes on forever. The Hundred is going to be the next big thing in world cricket,” he added.

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