'India, Pakistan...,' Mohammad Amir Picks His Top 4 For World Cup 2023

Aakash Saini

image-ljnygothRohit Sharma & Virat Kohli in Indian Blues (Twitter)

The 2023 Cricket World Cup is set to be hosted by India later this year between October and November. As usual, Team India will start out as one of the favourites for the tournament, citing their familiarity with the home conditions and the presence of several World Cup veterans on their side.

Much like the hosts, neighbouring teams like Sri Lanka and Pakistan will also believe they have a good chance of conquering the title owing to familiar subcontinental playing surfaces in India.

While teams like England, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand can never be counted out of any major ICC event, the upcoming ODI World Cup promises to be a cracking one for fans of the sport.

At a time when most cricket experts and fans are making some bold predictions about the fate of the tournament, former Pakistan speedster Mohammad Amir has given his take on four potential semi-finalists for the 10-team event.


Amir picks hosts and defending champions among potential semi-finalists

Mohammad Amir, who represented the Pakistan national team in the 2019 World Cup, believes his side has an outside chance of making it to the semi-finals this time around. The ‘Men in Green’ fell just outside the semi-finalists zone back in 2019, as they finished fifth on the World Cup points table.

Amir believes that Pakistan and five-time winners Australia will have to fight it out to secure one of the four semi-finalists spots this year, despite describing his team as a “late starter” in ICC events.

"Pakistan is a late starter, as you may have noticed that whenever a big event comes, we have a slow start."

Moreover, the 2017 Champions Trophy winner believes Team India has a strong chance of making it into the top four, considering their familiarity with the home conditions. He also claimed defending champions England to be his favourite pick. Lastly, he described New Zealand as a team which is often underestimated by experts, which somehow always manages to secure a semi-final finish at least.

"India without a doubt, because those conditions suit them very well. England, I think they will be my favourite. New Zealand, we always underestimate them but they always make it to the top four. Lastly, either Australia or Pakistan will be in the top four among these teams."

The 2023 World Cup will commence with a match between 2019 finalists England and New Zealand on October 5 in Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium. The venue will also host the final on November 19.