The 2023 ODI World Cup is all set to begin in India in two months. It will start on October 5 with a match between two teams that played in the final of the 2019 edition. The defending champions, England, will face runner-up New Zealand in the tournament’s opener.
India will open their campaign with a match against Australia on October 8 (Sunday) in Chennai. The last time it was held in India, it was the host that won the tournament under the leadership of MS Dhoni. But since then, they have struggled to win any major ICC trophies.
Being the hosts, India will enter the tournament as favorites, but no one can write off the defending champions. There are a few teams that are looking great. Notably, the two-time champion West Indies couldn’t qualify, and it was Sri Lanka and Netherlands that filled the two remaining positions.
All ten teams look quite capable of lifting the championship. But who will be the one to do it? Former Australian pacer Glenn McGrath, who has picked up the most wickets in World Cup history, has picked four teams that are favorites among them all.
In an interview with the Times of India, McGrath said that India will be one of them because of the home conditions. He also picked Australia, England, and Pakistan as the top four teams in the upcoming mega event. Notably, McGrath was a vital cog in the Australian team that won the 1999, 2003, and 2011 World Cups.
He took 71 wickets in 39 games at the World Cup. Australia recently won the Test Championship and has leveled the Ashes series. England, on the other hand, has done pretty well across formats. Pakistan have found success in ODIs with the bowling attack they have. They will also be pretty comfortable with the Indian conditions.
