World Cup 2023: India, Pakistan…, Glenn McGrath predicts top 4 teams for ICC World Cup 2023: Former Australian World Cup-winning cricketer, Glenn McGrath has made his bold predictions for the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, which will be held in India later this year. Talking to Times of India, McGrath revealed the top 4 teams for the marquee event that will enter into the semi-finals.
The three-time World Cup-winning cricketer believes Australia, England and Pakistan have a good chance to make it through to the semi-finals of the ICC World Cup 2023, besides India, who are the hosts of the tournament.
“You wouldn’t be surprised that I’m putting Australia in that four. Obviously, India is playing in their own conditions. England is playing some great cricket, and Pakistan is also playing fine. So, they are the best four,” Glenn McGrath told The Times of India.
England certainly belongs to that list with how they have gone about their business in the recent past. Their aggressive approach towards the game has taken their performance to a whole new level, which marks danger for the opponents.
Australia are the most crowned team in the ICC World Cup history. They have won the title five times, the most recent being the 2015 World Cup, which was held in Australia and New Zealand jointly. So there are never ruled out of any contest.
Pakistan is definitely a very strong team when it comes to One Day Cricket (ODI). They have maintained their second spot in the ICC ODI Team Rankings. Although their best performance in World Cup history came in 1992, they have consistently done well in the recent past.
Team India, being the host of the tournament, becomes a challenging force to deal with. Often it is said that India becomes a team to defeat in whichever tournament it plays, such high have been the standards for the Men in Blue.
ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 – India’s preparations
Talking about India’s preparations for the ICC World Cup 2023, there are too many unanswered questions to be tackled by the Rohit Sharma-led management. The team is looking for answers on various fronts. The injury of key players remains their foremost crisis.
Although, there is a timeline set for different players to make a comeback, will they be as sharp as they were before getting injured, will be a big question. Jasprit Bumrah, team India’s pace spearhead, who will mark his comeback with the upcoming Ireland series, will he be as potent as a bowler as he was earlier?
Who will be India’s glovesman for the World Cup 2023? Will it be Ishan Kishan or Sanju Samson or KL Rahul, who is still nursing his injury at the National Cricket Academy?
There are several such questions in front of the Indian team, but they are racing against time to solve all these. As they say, Rohit Sharma has a lot on his plate. However, it remains to be seen what the Indian management come up with as we approach the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.
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For more details head to ICC’s official website.