Last Update on: April 23rd, 2019 at 10:51 pm
Recently updated on April 23rd, 2019 at 10:51 pm
Former South African opener Herschelle Gibbs has revealed his favourites to win the upcoming ICC World Cup in England and Wales.
The much-awaited World Cup is just a handful of months away. Hosts England will take on South Africa in the opener on May 30, 2019, at The Oval in London. The format for the 2019 edition will see 10 best teams in the world going head-to-head in a round-robin format. The tournament will culminate with the fifth final at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground on July 14.
Now as the showpiece draws near, the cricketing world is busy predicting who can go all the way in the tournament. And the latest to give his take on the much-talked about topic is legendary batsman Herschelle Gibbs. The former Proteas opener has backed England and India to win the tournament.
England are currently the top-ranked ODI side in the world while India are just below them at the second spot. Since 2018, England won series in Australia and New Zealand before beating Australia and India at home. On the other hand, India have won series in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand and at home against Windies in addition to winning the Asia Cup since 2018.
“It is always wide open. The two standout contenders will be England and India. But, who is going to make the other two places for the semi-finals? It is difficult to say. A lot depends on the weather in England. The bowling attacks will all play a part (in the tournament),” Herschelle Gibbs said.
Asked about South Africa’s chances, Gibbs said that it is not about AB de Villiers’ absence that will be key but more so about the lack of quality all-rounder.
“We (South Africa) are always up there irrespective of ABD. We have got Faf (Du Plessis) and Quinton de Kock. The only issue for South Africa is not having an all-rounder,” Gibbs said.
