T20 World Cup: Kiwi pacer Southee predicts a great contest

The Kiwi pacer said come Sunday, both the wounded sides would be eager to open their tally in the showpiece. 

“They (India) are a quality side. They have shown that for many years and for them as well coming off a loss, they will be eager to win as well. So, it should be a great contest between two very good sides,” Southee said after a practice session on Friday. 

Southee, who claimed his 100th T20 wicket in the loss against Pakistan, said adapting to the conditions and wickets is the need of the hour. New Zealand will be playing at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium for the first time during the competition, while India lost at the same ground in its opener. 

“We knew coming here is different to how we play in New Zealand. So, you have to adapt to those conditions, you also have to adapt to all three grounds as well. 

“They offer different assistance for the seamers. We saw in Sharjah slower balls and back of the length worked. In Dubai, the wicket has little more pace in it and seems to be a better wicket,” he observed. 

Asked about his 100 T20 wicket milestone, Southee said: “It’s nice when you play for a while and get a milestone. Not many people have done it so far with T20 not being around for too long. 

“Not only T20, but all three formats. It’s a challenge to juggle all three formats and to be able to do that for a long period of time is pretty satisfying,” he said.