The renowned Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan has identified his top four teams that could make it to the ODI World Cup’s final four in India. The marquee event is scheduled to take place from 5 October to 19 November 2023. Ten Teams participating in the event have started their preparation for the event with practice sessions and Warm-up games in India.
A total of 48 games will be played in the 46-day ICC event, as India hosts the World Cup as the solo host for the first time. India last hosted the ODI World Cup in 2011 alongside Sri Lanka and Bangladesh when the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led team lifted the trophy.
The former Sri Lankan cricketer has picked India, the host country, alongside defending champions England, and Australia as the three potential candidates to make it to the final four and believes that the fourth team can be anyone in the tournament, as he feels that luck plays a major role in the ICC events.
Speaking to India Today ahead of the release of his biopic 800, Muttiah Muralitharan has picked teams, who has got a great chance of making it into the final four of the tournament and the former legendary spinner went in with the likes of India, England, and Australia as the top three leaving the fourth spot for any team in the tournament.
“So, I would say India, England, Australia, and the fourth team can be anyone. These three have more chances. But you never know, cricket is all about luck. As seen in the last World Cup, we thought that New Zealand would win and England won the trophy with luck favouring them,” Muttiah Muralitharan said.
All eyes will be on the Indian cricket team, as the players are desperate to end their long wait for an ICC title. The Men in Blue have struggled in recent ICC competitions, including their failure in the 2023 WTC final but the team will be riding high confidence after a securing thumping win in the Asia Cup 2023.
England will be coming to India to defend their World Cup title after winning a dramatic final against New Zealand in the previous edition of the tournament on their home soil, while Australia are known for their brilliant performance in ICC events and would walk in as one of the favourites to win the mega event in India.
The Teams From The Subcontinent Will Get An Advantage – Muttiah Muralitharan
Muttiah Muralitharan believes that teams from the Subcontinent will have an advantage in the Indian conditions, which heavily favour spinners. He thinks that the teams with strong batsmen who can play spin well will have a huge upper hand in the World Cup.
“Definitely, the teams from the subcontinent will get an advantage because of the spin-friendly wickets and their batters are used to playing spin,” Muttiah Muralitharan added.
India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka are likely to perform better in the ODI World Cup as their teams have quality spinners and batters, giving them an edge over other countries in the event.
