'It’s going to be a fairy-tale World Cup': AB de Villiers picks winner of ODI World Cup

India are all set to host the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023. Scheduled to take place from October 5 to November 19, the ODI World Cup will see England defending their title. The event's last three editions have seen host nations clinching victory; India in 2011 and Australia in 2015, while England secured their maiden ODI World Cup title in 2019.

3 things you need to know

• The 2023 ODI World Cup will be held across 10 venues in India
• England will play the opening match against New Zealand in Ahmedabad
• India will play its first match against Australia in Chennai on Oct 8

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AB de Villiers picks his World Cup winner

(AB de Villiers during SA 20 / Image: SA 20)

Former South African cricketer AB de Villiers has made his prediction for the 2023 ODI World Cup, foreseeing India as the potential champions. De Villiers, known for his remarkable batting, compared India's potential campaign to their victorious 2011 edition, drawing parallels to their triumph under MS Dhoni's leadership.

During a Q&A session on his YouTube channel, De Villiers shared his semifinalist predictions, putting England and India in the spotlight. He expressed his desire for these two teams to face off in the final, though he hoped for South Africa's success as well. Despite labeling them as underrated, he recognized South Africa's talent and their unique position with lower expectations for this World Cup.

“Definitely, India. I think they will go on to win it over there again. It’s going to be a fairy-tale World Cup. India, England, Australia - got to go with the big three. Then I want to go with South Africa, even though Pakistan have a really good chance as well. So the fourth team will be South Africa."

“I’ve gone with three non-sub-continent teams there, which is very risky. But I am going to stick to it because I think the wickets will be good. I don’t think the World Cup is going to see bad wickets during the duration of the tournament,” he added.

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England and New Zeland to kickstart 2023 ODI World Cup

The tournament's opening match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad will witness a rematch of the 2019 World Cup final, featuring England and New Zealand. De Villiers backed his finalist choices, pointing out England's robust team composition and their chances of reaching the pinnacle, if not securing victory.

Image: AP