ODI World Cup 2023: South Africa to spoil party for many teams, says former India pacer Zaheer Khan
South Africa players during the ODI WC warm up game against NZ (Source: @ProteasMenCSA)
Former India pacer Zaheer Khan thinks South Africa will be spoiling the party for a lot of teams in the ODI World Cup 2023. While the Proteas are tagged as 'chokers' when it comes to the ICC tournaments, Khan said they will be a force to reckon with in the quadrennial event which starts Thursday (October 5).
“Everyone seems to be talking about India, England, Australia, Pakistan and New Zealand as contenders, but I feel South Africa will be the dark horse at the World Cup this year,” said Zaheer at an event in Mumbai.
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“South Africa’s history when it comes to ICC tournaments isn’t great,” he added. “They have this tag of 'chokers' also which goes with them. But somehow, looking at the way they played against Australia recently, I think they could be the dark horse. If certain players from their squad come good in the Indian conditions, they will definitely be a force to reckon with.”
Notably, South Africa beat Australia 3-2 in the five-match ODI series before arriving in India for the World Cup. The Proteas were 0-2 down in the series before making a spectacular comeback to win the series. Zaheer also mentioned that despite the teams ending in top four in the group stage, any team can beat anyone in the semis and finals.
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“The format is such that if you manage to be in the top four at the end of the league stage, you only need two more days of good cricket to win the title,” Zaheer said. “And in such a situation, anyone can beat anyone. How each team approaches the league stage and builds momentum will be crucial,” added Khan.
South Africa start their World Cup campaign against Sri Lanka in the fourth match of the tournament on October 7 before taking on Australia in their next match on October 12.
