Former England pacer Stuart Broad has predicted that defending champions England and 2-time World Cup winners and hosts India will play in the final of the ICC World Cup 2023 in Ahmedabad on November 19. He backed Rohit Sharma-led Men in Blue to lift the trophy.
Notably, home teams have managed to win the World Cup since the 2011 edition. India won the World Cup in 2011 as hosts before Australia tasted glory in 2015 while hosting the tournament. Then in 2019, England continued the trend and won their maiden ODI World Cup tournament at home.
Broad feels that India now has a great chance of winning the World Cup in their backyard.
"If England manage to retain their World Cup title, it will be a phenomenal effort but my overriding feeling is that if India plays their perfect tournament, they are going to be very difficult to stop. Jos Buttler certainly has the team to challenge, one with the ability to post high totals, but I just think India, as hosts and the top-ranked ODI side, will be a hugely difficult proposition to get past.
Recent history shows you that home teams tend to prosper in 50-over World Cups: it was in India in 2011, and India won; the final was in Australia in 2015, Australia won the trophy; England won in 2019. So, on that basis alone, India would have to be huge favorites," Broad wrote in his column for Daily Mail.
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The second-highest Test wicket-taker for England added that with the return of Jasprit Bumrah, India is playing top-notch cricket. He also was concerned about England’s traveling schedule during the World Cup and said that it could hamper the team's chances in the World Cup. However, he still backed England to make it to the final of the World Cup.
"Then take into account that they’re playing pretty decent cricket, and their key fast-bowler star Jasprit Bumrah is coming back to full fitness. Contrast to England. Without sounding like I am giving them excuses, they have got a pretty tough draw, to be honest. They do not play two games in the same location, instead traveling from city to city.
Others have the luxury of being able to book in somewhere for a week and play two games. They do not. But the fact every team plays everyone else in the round-robin stage means England would be absolutely distraught not to make the semis and final," Broad concluded.
