Former West Indies opener Chris Gayle on Thursday predicted the Internation Cricket Council (ICC ) World Cup 2023 semi-finalists.
The Universe Boss believes that Pakistan, India, England and New Zealand will make it to the semi-final of the mega event.
The 43-year-old, during an interview with the Press Trust of India (PTI), also said that since the India-Pakistan match is watched by the entire world due the rivalry between the two countries, players from both teams should demand a lot more money from the ICC.
"Whenever those teams [India and Pakistan] play, especially in a World Cup, the revenues they generate are humongous. One game can take care of the entire ICC event,” Gayle told PTI.
“Pakistan and India players should demand a lot of money for those games because those games are high-paid games TV-wise. I don't control the board or the ICC. If I was in their position I would want a lot more."
It must be noted that the most anticipated match of the World Cup will be played between India and Pakistan on October 15 at the Narendra Modi Stadium, the biggest stadium in the world that can gather as many as 132,000 spectators.
Men in Green’s record against the Blues in the World Cup isn’t something one would want to talk about, as the former have lost seven out of seven matches against the latter, including an infamous semi-final defeat in the 2011 Cricket World Cup in Mohali.
Pakistan's schedule for ICC World Cup 2023:
October 6 - vs Qualifier 1 in Hyderabad
October 12 - vs Qualifier 2 in Hyderabad
October 15 - vs India in Ahmedabad
October 20 - vs Australia in Bengaluru
October 23 - vs Afghanistan in Chennai
October 27 - vs South Africa in Chennai
October 31 - vs Bangladesh in Kolkata
November 4 - vs New Zealand Bengaluru (Day match)
November 12 - vs England in Kolkata
The day match will start at 10:00am Pakistan Standard Time (PST), while all other matches will be day-night fixtures starting at 01:30pm (PST).
- Chris Gayle