The ODI World Cup is scheduled to take place in India. This tournament will feature a number of brilliant players who will blow the mind with their performances. From the No. 1 team to the No. 1 batter, from the No. 1 bowler to the No. 1 ranked all-rounder, all will come to one place to compete.
With so many superstars playing in the upcoming tournament, it will be hard to pick a few. However, two-time World Champion and Hall of Famer Lisa Sthalekar has picked the top five players for her dream ODI XI for the 2023 World Cup.
Lisa was part of the Australian women’s team that won the 2005 and 2013 World Cups. After retirement, she is now a commentator and a great analyst of the game. In a discussion with the ICC, she picked India’s ace pacer, Jasprit Bumrah, as her first pick.
She said that Bumrah can provide a great balance as he can take wickets with the new ball, and when the batters are going hard at the bowling in the end, he can also stop the runs. Bumrah returned from his injury after ten months and is part of the Indian squad for the Asia Cup 2023.
Then Lisa named Virat Kohli as her second choice. She said that Virat is a bankable player when it comes to the big stage and performing in front of a home crowd. She stated, “Virat is someone you would bank on getting runs from, as it will probably be his last World Cup.”
Lisa picked Babar Azam as her third pick. She said, “Babar will score a lot of runs at the World Cup. He can play his own style, and before you know it, he already has triple figures.” She also picked Steve Smith and said that Smith is brilliant against spin, which makes him a good player in middle overs.
Smith also had great success in India on such pitches. Last but not least, Lisa picked Shaheen Afridi as her final pick. She said that Afridi is an impactful bowler who can damage any batting attack, and if it is swinging, then he can be dangerous.
