Former England cricket team skipper Michael Vaughan has predicted the semifinalists for the Cricket World Cup 2023, and surprisingly, he does not see Australia making it to the final four. Despite Australia being the most successful team in the history of the tournament with five titles, Vaughan believes that India, Pakistan, South Africa, and England will be the ones to fight it out in the latter stages of the competition. India has won the tournament twice, while Pakistan and defending champions England have won it once. South Africa, on the other hand, has never won the title and has never even reached the final.
Vaughan shared his predictions on X (formerly Twitter), stating, “Can’t wait for the World Cup to start this week .. My 4 semi-finalists will be … England, South Africa, India, and Pakistan.” In a previous post, he also mentioned that whoever can defeat India may end up winning the World Cup. He praised India’s batting lineup on Indian pitches and their well-rounded bowling options.
The Cricket World Cup 2023 will commence with England playing their opening match against New Zealand on October 5. India will begin their campaign against Australia in Chennai on October 8. The tournament will feature 10 nations playing a total of 48 matches at 10 different venues over a span of 46 days.
(With AFP inputs)