‘England and India will likely be two finalists of World Cup’ – Former South African legend picks his favorites to win ODI World Cup 2023

The 2023 ODI World Cup is about to begin with 10 teams competing for the championship. India, the top-ranked ODI team and the host nation. They are also a strong contender alongside defending champions England. One more team which are firm’s favorite are five-time winners Australia. With the tournament hosted in India, the performance of Asian teams is anticipated to be noteworthy.

Other teams in good form include South Africa, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka. The competition is expected to be wide open, offering any team the chance to claim the title. Dale Steyn wishes for South Africa in the final of the upcoming tournament. The legendary pacer also sees India and England as the likely favorites for the summit clash. The final will be played  at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on November 19.

“It’s a tough one; you know my heart wants to go with South Africa making the final. I would love them to make the final; their team, a lot of their players play in the IPL, and they play in India regularly. They got some guys, like David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen, who really started to figure out those conditions and bat well there. So, I feel like they have the ability to go on and get to the finals by getting those players. But I am not too sure, and I kind of have to go with Waqar. I feel like the favorites would probably be India; I feel like India is going to be one of the finalists, and probably England. But my heart wants to say South Africa and India, but I am kind of leaning towards India and England,” the legendary pacer said on Star Sports.

The South African team have never won a World Cup

This is one of the major dilemmas with a team like South Africa which has such a great and rich culture of producing extraordinary cricketers. The Proteas have over the years have performed below their actual potential at the mega stage.

South Africa has never secured an ODI World Cup title. Their sole victory in a knockout match in ODI World Cup history occurred in the 2015 edition. The team is led by Ab de Villiers, they triumphed in the quarterfinals, defeating Sri Lanka by nine wickets at the Sydney Cricket Ground.