Cricket World Cup 2023: Who's hot, who's not...

The 2023 Cricket World Cup is nearly here, with the first game starting on the 5th of October with defending champions taking on the 2019 runner-ups, New Zealand. This is as open a World Cup as we have seen for a long time, so let’s take a look at the squads.

As ever, the Afghans rely on a few superstars, namely Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi.  Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi is a quality ODI batter and could be impactful throughout the tournament. This is not a side good enough to win the World Cup but if there are some spin-friendly wickets, they could well cause some upsets.

As ever, the Aussies are looking fearsome going into a World Cup, despite a recent series loss to South Africa. Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins are a dominant opening pair and the Aussies won’t make the same mistake as 2019 by leaving out Hazelwood. They are looking to pack the side with all-rounders which could make for some interesting matchups.

Bangladesh haven’t released their official squad yet but there are a few names that are guaranteed such as Shakib al Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, and Tamim Iqbal. They are a formidable opponent in spinning conditions so a lot will depend on the pitches they play on.

The defending champs once again look a very strong side with a mixture of explosive batting and a variety of bowling options that can all take wickets. Leaving out Jason Roy is a brave call but Dawid Malan has done enough to earn his spot. Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, and Jos Buttler is one hell of a middle order. Bowling could possibly be a slight weakness.

India are in home conditions and should be looked at as favourites. So far they seem to have gone slightly under the radar somehow. Shubman Gill at the top of the order is in the form of his young career and could well be a difference-maker, whilst Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are arguably the best two spinners in the world, especially in home conditions.

The Dutch qualified for the World Cup off the back of some incredible performances from Bas de Leede, the explosive all-rounder. Outside of de Leede, Roelof van der Merwe, Logan van Beek, and Max O'Dowd make for a very solid core. Don’t be surprised to see a few upsets caused by this Dutch team.

Runners-up at the last two tournaments, the Kiwis will be hoping to go one better in 2023. With talisman, Kane Williamson returning from injury and Glenn Phillips offering power in the middle order, and some handy off-spin, this is a team with real talent. It doesn’t quite look good enough to challenge the top teams but they tend not to yet beat them anyway.

Some seem to think Pakistan isn’t quite at the level to truly challenge for the World Cup but on any given day, they have more than enough talent to beat anyone. The loss of Naseem Shah to injury is a difficult one to overcome despite a good selection of fast bowlers to choose from. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan will need to do a lot of the heavy lifting with the bat.

Once again the Proteas look absolutely stacked going into a World Cup, so, based on history, will presumably play terribly and get rolled over by an associate nation or two. On paper, this team looks incredible with Heinrich Klassen in particular in top form. If they can overcome the mental hoodoo, this is a team that could well go all the way.

Like Bangladesh, the Sri Lankans haven’t released the squad yet. Coming off the back of a humiliating loss to India in the Asia Cup final where they were bowled out for 50, they could well be lacking confidence going into the tournament. Again, they are a talented side and could look to beat some of the big nations, but getting to the semi-finals seems a long shot.

The tournament starts with a ten-team round-robin, in a mini-league. The top four will go through to the semi-finals with first playing fourth and second playing third.

One of the best all-rounders of all time, and possibly the best fielder ever, Jadeja is an invaluable part of the India side. His left-arm orthodox bowling is always difficult to get away and his handy lower-order runs helps to balance the side.

Klaasen is in incredible form recently, including an amazing 174 from 83 balls against Australia not long ago. A true power hitter, he is able to take down any bowling but his particular strength is against spin, which looks to be a huge part of the coming tournament.

There are few better sights in cricket than watching Shaheen Afridi steam in for his opening spell. A tall left-arm quick who is able to swing the ball no matter the conditions is one of the most dangerous opening bowlers in the world and absolutely incredible to watch.

Much like Klaasen, Stokes is entering the World Cup with a huge score under his belt. His recent 182 from 124 balls is now the record ODI score for England. There is no more ‘clutch’ player than Stokes in world cricket, so don’t be surprised to see him win some games by himself.