With the much-awaited ICC World Cup 2019 just a few days away, former South Africa skipper AB de Villiers has revealed the name of the teams he thinks can go all the way.
Hosts England will take on South Africa in the opener on May 30, 2019, at The Oval in London. The tournament will last for 45 days with 48 matches to be played. India will start their campaign against the Proteas on June 5. The format for the 2019 edition will see 10 best teams in the world going head-to-head in a round-robin format. The tournament will culminate with the fifth final at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground on July 14.
And as the showpiece event inches closer, the cricket fraternity is busy speculating who can win the World Cup and AB de Villiers has now joined the discussion too. The former Proteas international thinks England and India can go all the way in the competition along with defending champions Australia and reigning Champions Trophy holders Pakistan.
On his own country’s chances, he said that they have a chance but are not favourites.
England are currently the top-ranked ODI side in the world while India are just below them at the second spot. Since 2018, England won series in Australia and New Zealand before beating Australia and India at home. On the other hand, India have won series in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand and at home against Windies in addition to winning the Asia Cup since 2018,“
“The Proteas are certainly in the running, but I won’t say they are the favourites to be honest with you. India and England are looking strong, Australia have won five World Cups in the past and Pakistan claimed the Champions Trophy in the UK two years ago. Those four teams are probably the favourites, but the way the Proteas have been playing in the 50-over format of late has been encouraging,” AB de Villiers told sport24.
De Villiers, meanwhile, will be next seen in action for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League. He was recently playing for Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League before a back injury ruled him out. De Villiers is likely to be available from the very start in the IPL. He was one of Royal Challengers’ most impressive performers last season when they finished sixth. He scored nearly 500 runs despite missing a couple of games. The Royal Challengers will open their season against defending champions Chennai Super Kings on March 23.