The World Cup is truly here and buzzing with some marvellous performances.
The World Cup is truly here and buzzing with some marvellous performances. The lower-ranked teams have also started showing their true potential, not only by giving them tough fights but by winning the games as well. The last four days have already seen two astonishing upsets, keeping the table open.
Afghanistan handed a shocking defeat to England on Sunday (October 15) in Delhi by a whopping 69 runs. South Africa’s loss against the Netherlands was the biggest upset of the competition in Dharamsala on Tuesday (October 17). Both England and South Africa are among the likely candidates to at least reach the semifinal stages, and these victories must have boosted the confidence of Afghanistan and the Netherlands.
Possibly, these won’t be the only surprises in store as the tournament approaches its business end. Plenty of exciting action left, and a few upsets are well on the cards. We look at the five potential upsets pending in the World Cup 2023.
Pakistan vs Afghanistan has become an intense rivalry in the past few years, and whenever these two teams meet, the scenes get ugly at times on the field and in the stands. Another chapter is all set to add to this rivalry in Chennai on 23rd October. Pakistan will start as the favourites in the game, but Afghanistan will make life arduous for them.
The conditions will also play a massive role in making Afghanistan a potential threat to Pakistan. The game will take place in Chennai, where the spinners have a major say more often. The Afghani team have three quality spinners – Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi.
Also Read: WATCH: Rohit Sharma sharpens his bowling skills ahead of Bangladesh match
Contrastingly, Pakistan’s spinners have been below par for a while, which would make work easy for Afghanistan’s batters slightly. If the pitch is on the slower side, Afghanistan will fancy their chances against a formidable Pakistan unit. Their potency was visible against England a few days back.
Even if we remove that historic victory against South Africa, the Netherlands have played some quality cricket throughout the tournament. Their win against the Proteas was a reward for their consistent improvement in Dharamsala. However, the Men in Orange won’t be satisfied with a mere victory.
Their captain, Scott Edwards, stated that the team is looking for a semifinal spot. For that to happen, the Netherlands will have to keep winning. There is a massive probability of them winning against Bangladesh in Kolkata.
The track in Eden Gardens generally offers more for the pacers, making threatening Bangladesh’s spinners ineffective considerably. The Netherlands have some good pacers in their ranks, and Bangladesh, who have had issues against high pace, can crumble against them on a fast pitch. While Bangladesh will start as favourites, the Netherlands won’t let any stone unturned to hand a shocker to the Tigers.
India don’t have an encouraging track record against New Zealand in the ICC events. However, the Men in Blue will still go as favourites in this contest on Sunday (October 22) in Dharamsala. However, New Zealand are capable of spoiling the party one more time.
The match will happen in Dharamsala, which will assist the pacers early on with the new ball. The speedsters will get the swing, and the Kiwis have the likes of Trent Boult and Matt Henry to exploit it. They were the chief destructor in the 2019 World Cup semifinal and can do it again.
New Zealand also have some fine players of spin, and they can counter the high-flying spin duo Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav. If the Kiwis manage to dismiss the top order early, India are in for another unexpected defeat. A lot will rely on how they handle the swing bowlers at the start of their innings and the performance of Jadeja and Kuldeep against the middle order of New Zealand.
The Netherlands are capable of another shocking turnaround against Sri Lanka in Lucknow. While Sri Lanka have been mediocre in the tournament thus far, they are still a stronger unit than the Netherlands, at least in sub-continent conditions. But the Men in Orange are very much capable of defeating the Lankan side.
The pitch in Lucknow has played better for the batters so far, and the Netherlands can make use of the conditions. Sri Lanka’s spinners will automatically become less potent, and their pacers have been abysmal. They have bowled all around without any consistency.
On the other end, the Netherlands’ pacers have shown immense consistency and bowled to the plans more often than Sri Lanka. So, if their batters do a decent job, the bowlers are capable of doing the heavy lifting against this Lankan side.
Bangladesh will find it very difficult to beat South Africa in the Wankhede Stadium. However, as some other teams have shown in the tournament, nothing is impossible in cricket. Bangladesh will back themselves to cause an upset.
The Bangla Tigers have some of the finest spinners in the team, who are skilled enough to keep the Proteas in check and snare a few wickets occasionally. Before they come into play, Shoriful Islam can cause some damage. There is always some assistance for the speedsters in Mumbai before the track gets better for batting.
Shoriful has found ample swing in the tournament and also troubled batters at times. He must provide early breakthroughs to make life easier for the spinners. The Proteas have done funny things, and if they lose early wickets, you never know.
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