India-Australia final ideal for 2015 World Cup: Ponting

New Delhi, Oct 18 (IANS) Two-time World Cup winning captain Ricky Ponting said Saturday that an India-Australia clash will serve up as an ideal final for the 2015 World Cup to be held in his country and New Zealand from Feb 14 to Mar 29.

"A final between Australia and India will be the ideal spectacle for the next World Cup. Especially with the powerful batting line-ups these teams possess, it would be a dream final next year," Ponting said at the Aaj Tak conclave "Salaam Cricket".

However, the Tasmanian had bad news for Indian cricket lovers.

"Australia will lift the World Cup," the former skipper added with a wry smile.

Ponting, who led Australia to win the quadrennial event in 2003 and 2007, also said that the team having the most number of strong lower-middle order batsman and all-rounders will win the trophy.

"If you see the big-hitting guys like Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Kieron Pollard, no target is enough. If you have them till the end during a chase, you should believe that they can score as many runs as you need," said Ponting, who was also part of the 1999 World Cup winning Australia squad.

"Also, these days teams are having a lot of all-rounders who lend balance to the squad. The lower-order batsmen and all-rounders will decide the fate of the next World Cup."

Meanwhile, Australia's 1999 World Cup winning skipper Steve Waugh said that opener David Warner and power-hitter Glenn Maxwell will have the most impact in the competition.

"At home, Australia are a very strong team. With the kind of performance Warner and Maxwell have shown in the past 18 months, they will have the most impact there. The two guys are very talented and also making rapid progress as batsmen," he said.