The 2023 Cricket World Cup is coming to an end with semifinal games later this week. In the running are India and New Zealand playing on Wednesday and South Africa and Australia competing on Thursday. The winner will move on to play in the finals on Sunday morning.
India
With a perfect record so far, undefeated India stands as the favorite for the 2023 World Cup champion. Winning almost every game by huge margins, the World Cup hosts are the team to beat this year. Three out of the ten highest scorers of the tournament are on their team and India is having a great World Cup run this season.
Team captain Rohit Sharma has been a force to be reckoned with in the tournament thus far. Sharma, who has already broken two world records this championship alone, also holds the record for most centuries in the World Cup. During the win against the Netherlands, he shattered the record for most sixes in a year of international cricket with 60 and most sixes by a captain in a single World Cup with 24.
Virat Kohli, another record setter on the Indian team, equaled the previous record for one day international centuries of 49 set by his former teammate, Sachin Tendulkar. He achieved this during India’s 243 run win over South Africa, handing them their only loss of the tournament. He now has the most runs in the tournament, a stunning 594.
New Zealand
It’s been a rocky road on the way to the semifinals for New Zealand. They started off strong by securing four victories in a row, but their luck soon took a turn for the worse. After being defeated by India, the team followed with losses against Australia, South Africa, and Pakistan. They almost missed the cutoff for the semis, but a five wicket win against Sri Lanka secured their place in the match against India.
23-year old Rachin Ravindra is making history during his first ever World Cup. He broke the record set by Sachin Tendulkar for most runs by a player under 25 with 565, including 3 centuries. The World Cup rookie is now third for most runs scored this tournament, on par with some of the greats of his time.
Australia
Australia lost its first two games against the best two teams in the tournament: India and South Africa. They quickly bounced back, however, winning their next seven and ending with a record of 7-2. Australia finished third landing them a spot in the semifinals against second place, South Africa.
Glenn Maxwell saved the Australian team in their game against Afghanistan with an unfathomable 201 runs. Down 7 wickets and 201 points, Maxwell was at bat toward the end of the inning. He already had 22 runs and hoped to just lessen the point difference, but ended up scoring 100 more. By this time, with 120 runs, Maxwell began cramping up and eventually collapsed, unable to run. But instead of leaving the game, the medics got him to his feet, he waved off his substitute, and scored a stunning 201 runs while barely moving.
South Africa
Finishing second with an almost perfect record, South Africa only lost against first place India and the Netherlands. This secured them a spot in the semifinals against Australia. Although they’ve already won against Australia earlier in the tournament, this semifinal brings back bad memories, as South Africa has been known to choke in big moments like this.
South African batter Quinton de Kock has the second most runs in the tournament with 591, only 3 behind Indian star Virat Kohli. He has scored four centuries in this World Cup alone, becoming the first South African batter to hit 500 runs in a single edition of the cup.
Quinton de Kock is also joined by fellow teammate Rassie van der Dussen in the top ten scorers of the championship. 34 year old Dussen is currently sixth with 442 runs. His 76 runs against Afghanistan helped the team secure their second place position last Friday.
Predictions
India vs New Zealand:
In Wankhede Stadium, India should be handily winning this one as they’ve already beaten New Zealand by 4 wickets. Undefeated so far this tournament, India is definitely the favorite to win this match and probably even the finals.
South Africa vs Australia:
Although Australia has a chance at victory, South Africa is the favorite to win this match in Kolkata. Hopefully South Africa can break their choking streak and not have a repeat of years past when they lost key matches towards the end of the World Cup, making this their first time reaching the finals. Winning against Australia by 134 runs in October, they should be able to do it again.
Finals:
India should bring home the trophy this year on their home turf while playing at Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad. They’ve already emerged victorious against all the other teams by huge margins this World Cup. The so far unbeatable team includes many of the best players in the league, shaping an exceptional crew.
