Yes, former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag has picked four semi-finalists for the upcoming ICC World Cup 2023. He named Australia, England, India, and Pakistan as his picks.
Sehwag made his predictions during a panel discussion with Sri Lankan legend Muttiah Muralitharan, BCCI secretary Jay Shah, and ICC CEO Geoff Aldridge in Mumbai where the World Cup schedule was announced.
Here are Sehwag’s reasons for picking these four teams:
“If I have to pick four teams – Australia, England, India and Pakistan. These are the semi-finalists,” said Sehwag while speaking at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 schedule launch event.
- India: The host nation is always a strong contender in World Cups, and Sehwag believes that India’s batting will be particularly strong in 2023. He pointed to the form of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul, as well as the emergence of youngsters like Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav.
- Pakistan: Pakistan has a history of punching above its weight in World Cups, and Sehwag believes that they will be a dangerous team in 2023. He highlighted the bowling attack of Shaheen Afridi, Hasan Ali, and Mohammad Amir, as well as the batting of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan.
- England: The defending champions are always a threat in ODI cricket, and Sehwag believes that England will be even stronger in 2023. He pointed to the form of Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow, and Jason Roy, as well as the all-round abilities of Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer.
- Australia: Australia is the most successful team in ODI cricket history, and Sehwag believes that they will be a force to be reckoned with in 2023. He highlighted the batting of David Warner, Steve Smith, and Aaron Finch, as well as the bowling attack of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood.
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Of course, it is still too early to say who will make the semi-finals of the 2023 World Cup. However, Sehwag’s predictions show that he is expecting a competitive tournament with some of the best teams in the world vying for the title.
“We played that World Cup for Tendulkar. If we won the World Cup, it would have been a great exit for Sachin paaji. Virat Kohli is the same now. Everybody will look to win the World Cup for him. He always gives more than 100 percent,” he said.