Dale Steyn predicts winner of Tendulkar-Anderson trophy

LONDON: Former South African fast bowler Dale Steyn on Sunday predicted that England will win the five-Test match series against India, scheduled to begin at Headingley on June 20.

Speaking to broadcasters after the ICC World Test championship (WTC) final between Australia and South Africa at Lord’s, Steyn said the matches between India and England will be exciting and competitive.

He also predicted there will be no draws in the series, emphasising that all matches will produce decisive results.

“All games will be close, but all will have a result. I think it will be 3-2 in favour of England. There won’t be any runaway wins — all five games will be very tight,” he said.

It is pertinent to mention that the five-match Test series between England and India is set to begin at Headingley, Leeds on June 20.

The remaining matches are scheduled to take place at Edgbaston, Lord's, Old Trafford, and The Oval.

For the unversed, South Africa won the WTC final by five wickets, led by a stellar century from Aiden Markram, a valiant fifty from captain Temba Bavuma, and brilliant bowling spells from Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi.

Steyn praised his countrymen not only for clinching victory against the mighty defending champions but also for their consistency throughout the two-year-long cycle.

“From the start of this World Test Championship cycle, South Africa knew they had to win a certain number of games to reach the final — and they did just that, winning seven in a row, regardless of the opposition.

“It doesn’t matter who you’re up against — anyone who’s played Test cricket will tell you that winning even a single Test match is never easy. To win seven consecutively, earn a spot in the final, and then go on to get over the line today — that’s absolutely huge,” he said.

Steyn also clarified that the WTC final was a battle between two strong teams and that South Africa knew the final against Australia would be tough.

“These are two massive teams. They’ve been fierce rivals for years. Australia commands a lot of respect from every South African cricketer for all that they’ve achieved, especially their world titles. So South Africa knew this was going to be one of their toughest tests,” he concluded.