The 2023 ODI World Cup is not far away. India is all set to host the entire tournament in October and November. It will start with an opening game between England and New Zealand in Ahmedabad on October 5.
The high-voltage clash between India and Pakistan will be played on October 14 at the Narendra Modi Stadium. This tournament is predicted to be a good one for the batters because Indian pitches tend to help the batting side more. But there are a number of bowling superstars taking part in this competition as well.
All in all, it will be a great contest between the ball and the bat. The likes of Mitchell Starc, Jasprit Bumrah, Shaheen Afridi, Kagiso Rabada, Mark Wood, Trent Boult, and many more stars will be setting the tournament on fire with the ball in hand. Thus, it becomes more difficult to predict which bowler will pick up the most wickets in the coming tournament.
But it looks like former South African superstar Jacques Kallis knows who will be the highest wicket-taker in the coming tournament. The 47-year-old has made a bold prediction and picked a pacer who will end up taking the most wickets in the tournament. In fact, he picked his countrymen but not Rabada; he picked speedster Anrich Nortje.
In a discussion with ICC, Kallis said, “I am going to go with Anrich Nortje. He’s South African; I have got to go for him, and he’s bowling well. Hopefully, he will keep that form into the tournament and play a big role in helping us go very far in the World Cup.”
Nortje has been one of the fastest bowlers going around in modern-day cricket. He can consistently bowl at 150 km/h, has played in the Indian Premier League, and is aware of the conditions offered in India. He has played 21 ODIs so far and taken 36 wickets at a strike rate of 27.11, which is a good start to his career.
