ICC Men's Cricket World Cup: Early Predictions

Published on: Jan 17, 2023

The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup will take place in India in October and November 2023. Ahead of this year’s contest, here is a look at the teams most likely to lift the trophy

Background

Held every four years, the 13th ICC Men's Cricket World Cup was originally scheduled to take place in February and March 2023. However, due to ongoing Covid-19 disruption, it was moved to October and November 2023. India is the host nation, which means it automatically qualifies.

The nine other qualifying nations come from the 2020–2023 ICC Cricket World Cup Super League, plus the 2023 Cricket World Cup Qualifier. Australia, England, Pakistan and New Zealand are among the teams to have already booked their spot. The contest will comprise a round-robin stage, followed by a knock-out stage, leading to the final on 26 November 2023.

The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup was last held in summer 2019. England beat New Zealand at Lord’s in a dramatic final that came down to a Super Over, and was ultimately decided on the number of boundaries scored.

The teams to watch

Australia: The most successful team in World Cup history, with five wins to date, Australia must again start as one of the main contenders. At the 2019 tournament, the team reached the semi-final stage, before losing to the eventual winner, England. Expect Australia to feature heavily in the 2023 contest.

England: As the reigning World Cup champion, plus the winner of the 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup, it is hard not to make England one of the favourites. Under the captaincy of Ben Stokes, England has also enjoyed a resurgence at Test level, so the side certainly has momentum heading into the World Cup.

India: With the advantage of playing at home, twice World Cup winner India has an excellent chance of enjoying a successful 2023 campaign. The last World Cup victory came in 2011, and the team reached the semi-final stage on the previous two occasions. The squad, under Rohit Sharma, will certainly want to give its supporters plenty to cheer about. For those who can’t wait until the team takes to the field for the World Cup, there’s always the option to watch a live cricket match today and enjoy plenty of domestic and international action between now and October.

New Zealand: Even though the Kiwis lost to England last time around, it was by the slimmest margin, with the game tied after the 50 overs - and again after the extra over. New Zealand also reached the final in 2015, losing out to co-host Australia. All this may give the New Zealanders impetus to go one better in 2023 and take home the trophy for the first time.

Pakistan: Coming off the back of a defeat to England in the 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup, Pakistan will be hoping to go one stage further and repeat its 1992 success in the 50-over tournament. However, there is a question over Pakistan’s involvement in the tournament, due to a dispute with India over its attendance at the Asia Cup.

With Afghanistan and Bangladesh among the nations also taking part, the World Cup will no doubt throw up some surprises. That’s especially true in the round-robin stage, which could affect the teams who make it through to contest the knock-out stages.