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West Indies legend Sir Viv Richards has predicted that Pakistan’s left-arm seamer Shaheen Afridi will be the leading wicket-taker in the 2023 World Cup, which will be held in India from October 5 to November 19.
Richards said that having spent some time in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), he has seen the fast bowler’s growth and also described Shaheen as a highly determined player.
Shaheen is Pakistan’s lead bowler across formats. The 23-year-old has so far featured in 27 Tests, 39 ODIs and 52 T20Is, claiming 105, 76 and 64 wickets respectively. He was recently seen in the ODI series against Afghanistan in Sri Lanka and finished as the leading wicket-taker with six wickets in three matches at an average of 16.33.
In a video on ICC’s official Instagram handle, Richards picked Shaheen to finish as the leading wicket-taker at the Cricket World Cup 2023. Explaining the reasons behind his choice, he said:
“The leading wicket-taker in the World Cup will be Shaheen Afridi because I have seen him in Pakistan. I spent some time in the PSL and I have seen his massive growth. [He is a] highly determined individual. He is my man.”
Before the World Cup, Shaheen will be seen in action during the Asia Cup, which will be played in Sri Lanka and Pakistan from August 30 to September 17.
Jacques Kallis predicts leading run-scorer at World Cup 2023
Earlier, South African cricket legend Jacques Kallis had made his prediction for the leading run-getter at the 2023 World Cup in India. Kallis picked England’s white-ball skipper Jos Buttler to top the batting charts during the ICC event, stating that the aggressive cricketer should fancy Indian conditions.
In a video on ICC, he had commented:
“I think Jos Buttler will be the leading run-scorer. Outside call, but I fancy him in those conditions along with England having a good World Cup. I think he’s going to be the one guy that stands out.”
Buttler has featured in 165 ODIs so far, scoring 4647 runs at an average of 41.49, with 11 hundreds and 24 fifties.
The 2023 ODI World Cup will be played in India from October 5 to November 19.
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