- Harbhajan Singh’s ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023 predictions: Australia, India, England, and New Zealand as top contenders for semifinals.
- Notably excluded Pakistan from the list, citing their limited 50-over format performance.
- The highly anticipated World Cup is set to kick off in India from October 5 to November 19.
Former Indian cricketing stalwart, Harbhajan Singh, recently took to his YouTube channel to offer insights into the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup, which is poised to captivate cricket enthusiasts across India. Harbhajan, famed for his cricketing prowess, confidently pinpointed the four teams he believes have what it takes to secure spots in the semifinals and vie for the coveted title.
In his astute analysis, Harbhajan Singh selected Australia, India, England, and New Zealand as his top four contenders for the semifinal stage. He predicated his choices on the stellar performances of these cricketing giants in the preceding edition of the tournament, indicating a strong likelihood of their repeat appearances in the knockout phase.
“I hope the match is closely contested (India vs. Australia). Whoever wins the game will become favourites to win the World Cup. Australia is also one of the contenders for the World Cup semifinals, India is another contender for the top four spots, and England is also a contender,” Harbhajan said.
The former spinner highlighted the crucial showdown between India and Australia, expressing his hope for a closely contested match. In his view, the outcome of this battle could potentially propel the victor to frontrunner status for clinching the World Cup. Harbhajan acknowledged Australia’s formidable presence as contenders for the coveted World Cup semifinals, reaffirming India’s prowess as another strong contender, while also acknowledging England’s competitive edge.
“For the remaining one spot, people are saying Pakistan could advance to the semifinals but in the 50-over format, they are just average. They play good cricket in T20Is but my fourth pick would be New Zealand. (India, Australia, England, New Zealand) They are my four semifinalists for the World Cup,” Harbhajan concluded.
However, Harbhajan Singh conspicuously omitted Pakistan from his list of semifinal contenders. Despite Pakistan’s stature as the number one ODI team, Harbhajan held reservations about their performance in the 50-over format, opining that their prowess primarily shines in T20Is. In lieu of Pakistan, he bestowed his fourth semifinal spot upon New Zealand.
