The ICC World Cup 2023 is still a couple of months away but the experts have begun dwelling on the potential winners. The showpiece event begins on October 5 with the last edition’s finalists – England and New Zealand – locking horns in the opener at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. A total of 10 teams will be competing in the tournament and the best side shall lift the trophy on November 19.
Several former cricketers have named the likes of India, Australia, England, New Zealand and Pakistan as the favourites but AB De Villiers has a different opinion. Answering a query during a Q&A session on YouTube, the ex-Proteas captain said Pakistan seems to have a good chance but he would like to see South Africa in the top four, along with India, England and Australia.
“Definitely, India. I think they will go on to win it over there again. It’s going to be a fairytale World Cup. India, England, and Australia got to go with the big three. Then I want to – go with South Africa, even though Pakistan has a really good chance as well. So, the fourth team will be South Africa,” De Villiers said.
“I’ve gone with three non-sub-continent teams there, which is very risky. But I am going to stick to it because I think the wickets will be good. I don’t think the World Cup is going to see bad wickets during the duration of the tournament,” he added.
The former batter further said he would like to see defending champions England squaring off against India in the World Cup final. The Three Lions, led by Eoin Morgan, had defeated New Zealand in a thrilling Super Over in 2019 to clinch the first-ever World Title in the 50-over format. India, on the other hand, were knocked out after losing to New Zealand in the semi-finals.
“England and India in the final. If they can find each other in that final, I think that will be fantastic, even though I really want my South African boys to be there,” De Villiers added.
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