Cricket is among the most famous sports on the international level. The International Cricket Council (ICC) organizes international events like the ICC Cricket World Cup, the ICC World Twenty20, the ICC Test Championship, and many more. The ICC ODI Cricket World Cup is a significant event played between different international teams every four years since 1975. The ICC World Cup 2023 will start on October 5 in India. The ten participating teams are India, England, Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and the Netherlands. Picking the ICC World Cup 2023 Semi-Finalists is challenging with the competition involved in World Cricket, but we still have four top teams for you.
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India
India has become the number one team in one-day international cricket and is also a two-time world champion. In 1983, India won their first World Cup final, and in 2011, they became champions for the second time. Recently, India also won the final of the Asia Cup. The team thrashed Australia in the three-match ODI series by 2-1 to prepare for the World Cup. Indian team has the home advantage with it. The team has a balanced squad with top-class batters, bowlers, and outstanding all-rounders. The spin bowling attack of India is one of the strongest among the teams in the World Cup. So, India is on top in picking up the ICC World Cup 2023 semi-finalists.
World Cup Squad
Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammad Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan, and Suriya Kumar Yadav
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Key Players
Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli are India’s best batsmen and did well in the Asia Cup. Gill currently holds the 2nd position in the ICC ODI batting rankings. Ravindra Jadeja is an important all-rounder in the Indian cricket team. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Siraj are important in Indian bowling, along with mystery spinner Kuldeep Yadav.
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Australia
Australia is the most successful team in ICC One Cricket World Cup history. Australia qualified seven times in the final and became champions five times: in 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2015. Therefore, Australia has a huge chance of picking the ICC World Cup 2023 semi-finalists. The team has a strong top order in Travis Head and David Warner. The middle order has classy Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschange. The experienced pace trio, including Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, and Josh Hazlewood, will be a key to success for the team. The team only lacks a quality spinner to help the regular spinner, Adam Zampa.
World Cup Squad
Pat Cummins (C), Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Sean Abbott, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa, and Mitchell Starc
Key Players
David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith will be the top Australian batsmen in this World Cup. Glenn Maxwell is one of the most exciting allrounders in the World. Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, and Josh Hazlewood will make a deadly trio in this World Cup.
England
England team is the defending champions in ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. The team qualified four times for the World Cup finals and became the 2019 ICC World Cup champion. They have also finished as runners-up in two ICC Champions Trophys (2004 and 2013). The hero of the last World Cup final, Ben Stokes, recently returned to the team, which is a positive sign for the team moving forward. The batting unit of the team is outstanding. There is a little concern about the bowling unit’s abilities. Overall, the team is a balanced unit that can successfully defend its title under Jos Buttler’s leadership.
World Cup Squad
Jos Buttler (C), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, David Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Mark Wood, and Chris Woakes.
Key players
Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes will be the best batters for the team in this World Cup. They are known for their aggressive batting styles. Moeen Ali is a good all-rounder in England. Sam Curran and Mark Wood are England’s most experienced bowlers for the team on Indian pitches.
Pakistan
The Pakistan cricket team is in second place in the ICC ODI ranking. Pakistan won the World Cup final in 1992 under the captaincy of Imran Khan. Pakistan qualified for the semi-finals in 1979, 1983, 1987, and 2011. Pakistan’s team is renowned for its unpredictability in the World of cricket. There are a few weak links in the team. But, still, the team always managed to reach the Semi-Final and Final on the big events in the past few years. Pakistan has a lackluster Asia Cup but has a great record in the last two years. Pakistan has the World’s fastest bowlers, Haris Rauf and Shaheen Afridi, who can win games on any pitch.
World Cup Squad
Babar Azam, Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imam ul Haq, Abdullah Shafiq, Muhammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Muhammad Nawaz, Osama Mir, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, and Muhammad Wasim
Key Players
Babar Azam, Imam ul Haq, and Muhammad Rizwan will be the best batsmen for Pakistan in this World Cup. Babar and Imam are currently in the top 5 of the ICC ODI batsmen rankings. Mohammad Nawaz is an all-rounder who will be crucial to the team’s success. The bowling combination of Haris Rauf and Shaheen Afridi will be one of the best in the ICC World Cup 2023.
Conclusion
ICC ODI Cricket World Cup will bring all the cricket fans to one stage for a time period of at least two months. All the teams in this World Cup played outstanding cricket in the last four years. However, Out of the ten World Cup qualifying teams, only four will play in the semi-finals. The predicted four teams are stronger than the rest and have some advantage over others. The batting and bowling of these teams are also very good compared to others. So, we chose India, Pakistan, Australia, and England as our semi-finalist teams. Which are yours?
