Former South African cricketer AB de Villiers has predicted semi-finalists for the upcoming ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 to be held in India later this year.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Mr. 360 shared his thoughts on how the mega event will go and named the teams he believes will make it to the final 4s.
“Definitely, India, I think they will win again there,” de Villiers began. “It’s going to be a fairy tale World Cup. India, England, Australia will be the three big teams in the semi-finals. Then I’d go with South Africa, although Pakistan also have a good chance.”
The 39-year-old’s prediction has risks associated with it as three of the four teams he mentioned are not from the sub-continent. But he believes that the pitches in the mega event will be good.
“I have gone to the semi-finals of the World Cup with three non-subcontinent teams, which is very risky. But I will stick to it because I think the wickets will be good. I do not think that bad wickets will be seen during the tournament in the World Cup,” he added.
The Protea then went on to discuss the finalists while wishing that his nation also end up in the final show.
“England and India will be in the final. If they face each other in the final, I think it would be awesome. Although, I really wish my South African boys were there. I don’t think it will be easy for them, but never say no.
“This is the World Cup in which South Africa have the least expectations, and it could well be for them. They are a very talented and very underrated team,” he concluded.
It must be noted that 10 teams will fight for the elusive title across 10 venues from October 5 to November 19, with the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad hosting the tournament opener and the final.
The Cricket World Cup will be played in the round-robin format with all teams playing against each other for a total of 45 league matches.
The top four teams will qualify for the semifinals, which will be held in Mumbai on November 15 and in Kolkata on November 16. The semi-finals and the final will have reserve days.