England vs. West Indies: 5 Bold Predictions for World T20 Final

Prior to the start of the ICC World Twenty20, few would have predicted England and the West Indies would be the two sides contesting the final, but that's exactly what is going to happen at Kolkata, India, on Sunday.

And what a mouthwatering clash of styles is in prospect!

England, so calamitous just over a year ago in the 2015 ODI World Cup—where they failed to get past the group stage—are a youthful, talented side with an emphasis on teamwork but are unused to the big stage.

While the Windies possess an abundance of experienced T20 specialists and play with a definite swagger, they aren't the most consistent side in the world, as their embarrassing defeat to Afghanistan showed.

So who do you think will lift the trophy at the end of the game?

Here are five bold predictions for the imminent World T20 final, including who the eventual winner will be.

OK, this one is not so much of a bold prediction but one based on previous history, but all signs suggest runs could be at a premium in this final.

Aside from Pakistan registering 201 for five against Bangladesh on March 16, Eden Gardens has been far from a batting utopia so far in this tournament.

Aside from Pakistan's effort, the next highest score at the venue was 155 by Sri Lanka vs. Afghanistan, and there have also been paltry totals of 118 by Pakistan against India and even an effort of just 70 from Bangladesh.

Throw in the big-stage nerves that often seem to set in—India's 157 in 2007 is the highest-ever team score in a World Twenty20 final—and a run-fest is unlikely.

The Windies know the confidence of England’s spinners, Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid, is a touch fragile and won't be able to resist targeting the pair's overs in the final.

It's a tactic that could backfire, especially on this big, expansive Mumbai pitch that usually offers encouragement to the slow bowlers.

A couple of miscues, a mishit or a poorly-timed charge down the track could lead to either Ali or Rashid easily ending up with a stack of victims and a potential man-of-the-match performance.

While the most obvious choices for leading run-scorer in the game are Chris Gayle and Joe Root for the Windies and England, respectively, it is high time Eoin Morgan came to the party.

It's gone under the radar somewhat that the England skipper has had a miserable tournament with the bat, scoring just 61 runs in five innings and recording two golden ducks.

But, having played in the Indian Premier League and the Big Bash League, Morgan has experience in high-pressure situations, and it's in the final where he needs to produce a captain's innings.

For the Caribbean islanders, Marlon Samuels has a similar pedigree to Morgan and, after producing a mixed run of scores in the competition (37, three, 43, five and eight), he owes his team a knock.

Gayle tends to dominate the headlines wherever he goes and—considering his record in T20 cricket of 8,835 runs at a strike rate of 150.10—quite rightly so.

However, expect the bombastic opener to fall cheaply in this showpiece final and give England an early ray of hope.

Why? Since his 48-ball ton against England at Mumbai, which included 11 sixes, the Jamaican has spent very little time at the crease.

In fact, the left-hander has faced just eight balls since that century nearly two-and-a-half weeks ago, managing scores of just five and four.

Throw in the fact Morgan's attack have surely learned their lesson from last time, and the Jamaican should find the going tough in Kolkata.

Most bookmakers have this two-horse race priced up at evens, which basically means the sides are so closely matched that the winner could be determined by a coin toss.

However, it just feels like England are riding an irresistible wave of momentum right now and have found ways to win from a variety of different situations.

True, the West Indies won the sides' Super 10s encounter just a couple of weeks ago—mainly thanks to an unbelievable one-man effort from Gayle—but even more recently they crumbled to defeat against the minnows of Afghanistan.

It makes you wonder which side will turn up for the final.

Factor this against the youthful athleticism, the momentum and the incredible depth of England's batting order, and it should be Morgan’s men dancing the calypso at the end of the game.