Defending champions England plus India, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Netherlands and Bangladesh to compete in ICC Men's Cricket World Cup - watch tournament in full live on Sky Sports between October 5 and November 19
Thursday 5 October 2023 08:55, UK
Who will win the 2023 Cricket World Cup? How will England fare? Who will finish as the leading wicket-taker and top run-scorer? Plus some bold predictions...
We've asked Sky Sports' Nasser Hussain, Michael Atherton and Mark Butcher, as well as England batter Tammy Beaumont, former fast bowler Steven Finn and England's 2019 World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan for their picks.
Watch the opening game of the Cricket World Cup - a repeat of the epic final from four years ago between England and New Zealand - in Ahmedabad on Thursday, live on Sky Sports Cricket at 9am (first ball at 9.30am).
It's hard to look beyond India. They're ranked No 1 in the world, plus history tells you that playing at home is a huge advantage. England won it four years ago, Australia in 2015 when hosting and India themselves back in 2011. They're also just a very good side with basically all bases covered. They'll be very hard to beat. NASSER HUSSAIN
I think England will win, I really do, even with the preparation they have had. They are defending champions and have been at the top of their game for the last six or seven years. They won't go into the tournament as favourites which I think is a good thing, that will take a little bit of the pressure away. They have all bases covered - pace, spin and they score a lot of runs very, very quickly. The thing that could possibly stop them is levels of fitness in their bowling unit and how they come through early on in the tournament. They can match, possibly more than match, India, Australia and Pakistan with the bat but they need their bowling attack to remain injury free. EOIN MORGAN
India. With home advantage, and the quality of their team, you would say that they're favourites. I don't think I'm really sticking my neck out but you'd have to say that everything - including simply how good of a team they are - is in their favour. MARK BUTCHER
I think England will win it. I'm that confident. India In India is always a different beast to anywhere else in the world, so they'll be right up there, but England have got a really well-rounded squad to be able to adapt to all conditions that they might face, and they're certainly still leading the way in terms of white-ball cricket in the world. TAMMY BEAUMONT
I think India. You look at the last three World Cups; 2011 was in India, won by India; 2015 was in Australia, won by Australia; 2019 was in England, won by England. Home advantage counts for a lot, while the sheer volume of 50-over cricket they've played in the build-up to this World Cup is significant as well. STEVEN FINN
England are going out there to win it. Anything less and they'll be disappointed. They're the current double white-ball world Champions (2019 50-over World Cup and 2022 T20 World Cup). I certainly can see them making the final; they've got tremendous batting depth, in particular. My only concern would be injuries: can they keep their key bowlers fit? They may need to rotate their attack in order to do so. NASSER HUSSAIN
I think they're nailed on to get to the semi-finals. I'd be surprised if they don't make it that far, and once you get there, it's anybody's game. They've got a pretty classy and experienced side, with lots of good pace options and variety in the bowling attack, allied with some powerful and destructive batters. They're a bit on the ageing side, but they'll believe that experience counts for everything in big tournaments. MICHAEL ATHERTON
England will be massively disappointed if they don't make the semi-finals. With the quality that they've got at their disposal, they'll be a real threat. They're still a fabulous side. What will be interesting to see is, can they get their combinations right; will Dawid Malan and Jonny Bairstow work out at the top of the order and will they pick the right bowling attacks for the right conditions? And can they keep their key players fit? If they can, England have a very good chance. MARK BUTCHER
I think they've built nicely towards the tournament. I see them making it through to the knockout stage and, once there, anything can happen. That said, there are some strong teams in this tournament that will be a real, distinct threat to them. STEVEN FINN
I wouldn't say they're dark horses anymore - two months ago, maybe - but I'm the latest to get on the South Africa bandwagon. They, ideally, would like to stay under the radar but coming from behind to beat Australia 3-2 in their recent series has sort of woken everybody up to them. Their batting line-up is in exceptional form and though Anrich Nortje is a miss to their bowling attack, they've still got the likes of Kagiso Rabada to intimidate the opposition. NASSER HUSSAIN
I can't make a case for any of the real outsiders - Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and the Netherlands - so I look at South Africa as the best 'value' pick. They look a strong side; a very powerful batting line-up backed up by a decent bowling unit. Mind you, I pick South Africa so often in these world events and repeatedly get my fingers burnt, so I really should know better. MICHAEL ATHERTON
I think Pakistan could surprise everyone. They have outstanding talents and are normally better competition players than in bilateral series. Even with the blow of losing Naseem Shah, they have Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf in the bowling attack. They are a very versatile team and I don't see the disappointment of not making the Asia Cup final being a bad thing. I think they can learn from that and bring that into conditions in India that should suit them. I really like Pakistan. EOIN MORGAN
Pakistan are ones to watch out for. They'd normally be one of the favourites; their build-up has been somewhat chaotic, but how many times have we said that of them leading into major tournaments? It's exactly the type of environment they have tended to thrive in; they enjoy surprising people. They could end up doing something special, despite the fact that they've lost a couple of key bowlers in Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf to injury. MARK BUTCHER
New Zealand have kind of always been the bridesmaids as such, getting to semi-finals and finals but never winning it. They always punch above their weight, being quite a small nation. I'd probably back them to maybe go through to another final and, who knows, maybe even go one better this time. TAMMY BEAUMONT
South Africa are a team to keep your eye on. They've developed a method and a style that could be dangerous. They've a varied bowling attack, with mystery spin and pace - though Anrich Nortje misses out to injury - and a strong batting line-up, which should see them challenge. They've had strong teams before and not quite managed to do better than they should have done, so if they can overcome those nerves and that stigma, they could be ones to look out for. STEVEN FINN
If I'm going to be calculated with this, I want my leading wicket-taker to play every game, all the way to the final, and so I'm going to pick Adil Rashid. He is England's go-to man with the ball, he spins it both ways and should have a lot of success in Indian conditions. NASSER HUSSAIN
Mitchell Starc. He is always someone who hunts for wickets, bowling a very full and attacking length, getting the new ball swinging. He has as good a chance as anybody, in an Australian side that should go pretty deep into the tournament. MICHAEL ATHERTON
Adil Rashid. His mystery spin has bamboozled sides over the years. He is very deceptive and difficult to pick with his variations. He will cause a lot of problems for opposition batters. Tabraiz Shamsi, another spinner, should do well for South Africa but I think his side have been hampered by injury. Fast bowler Anrich Nortje is out and you just cannot replace someone like him. New Zealand left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner will probably be up there, too. EOIN MORGAN
I think it will be a seamer, because of when they have to bowl - in the opening powerplay and at the death - which gives them more opportunities to take wickets. For that reason, I like Jasprit Bumrah. He's back fresh and firing. MARK BUTCHER
Adil Rashid could be up there, although the reports are that the early part of the season is going to see the ball seam around a bit, so Chris Woakes is a great shout as well. TAMMY BEAUMONT
You've got to look at someone like Ravi Jadeja, and how useful he is through the middle overs for India. He could do some real damage. Plus, there's Jasprit Bumrah back in that Indian team and, in home conditions, there's few bigger threats. Also, one final one, Shaheen Afridi for Pakistan, who is devastating with the new ball and also bowls well at the death. He'll be a really tricky customer. STEVEN FINN
Similarly, I want my top batter to go all the way to the final, so I'll take Rohit Sharma. He has three career ODI double-hundreds, he scored five centuries at the last World Cup in England and his record in India is remarkable - averaging a touch under 60 in 80 matches at home. NASSER HUSSAIN
A very boring choice, but I'm going with Virat Kohli, on home soil, with a chance to put the finishing touch on his fine career - not that he is close yet to finishing. He will be super motivated to do well. MICHAEL ATHERTON
Jos Buttler. He is an unbelievable white-ball cricketer and is coming into his best years as a batter. On the big stage, he performs as well as anyone. Rohit Sharma is very destructive at the top of the order, and his record in India is impeccable, so I envisage him scoring a lot of runs. David Warner for Australia as well. South Africa's batting line-up is powerful, too. Heinrich Klaasen has been in incredible form. He is one of the better middle-order batters in the world outside the guys that have played over 100 or 150 games. EOIN MORGAN
You normally have to look at the top three batters in each line-up when thinking about leading run-scorers. I'd imagine Virat Kohli's name will be somewhere near the top of the list. His record in 50-over cricket is absolutely phenomenal. MARK BUTCHER
Virat Kohli. He looks like he's just getting better with age and, in a home tournament, he should be right up there. TAMMY BEAUMONT
Virat Kohli is a prime candidate. Also, Babar Azam for Pakistan. He has a magnificent ODI record and he bats up the order as well. Dawid Malan is also one to consider, just given the form he showed at the back-end of the summer for England. STEVEN FINN
Jos Buttler. He's England's best-ever white-ball player... just a phenomenal talent. If England are to win, Buttler needs to have a great tournament. Or the other way round: if Buttler has a great tournament, England will win. He has a phenomenal record in India, in the IPL, so will know conditions and every opposition team will know that no game is won until Buttler is out. NASSER HUSSAIN
He has been a little out of form lately, but I'm going to go with Joe Root. My experience in the game has told me to never back against class, and he is England's classiest batter. The 50-over format should play to his strengths, as should Indian conditions. He looked a bit out of sorts in the ODIs to complete the summer but hopefully he'll come good. MICHAEL ATHERTON
No team in the world likes playing against a side with Ben Stokes in it and when you have him you never feel out of the game. For a number of years he has had a unique ability to make any role his own. That sums up the man's skill and level of belief. When he is in your changing room, everybody grows around him because of his X-factor. Liam Livingstone's versatility is also key to the balance of that team. His strength is with the bat but he can also have an impact with the ball as he bowls wrist spin and finger spin in the middle phase. EOIN MORGAN
You know what, I think Joe Root is going to come good. I know he's not maybe had the end of the summer that he'd want but he's a brilliant player of spin and I think it's probably going to turn more as the tournament goes on. TAMMY BEAUMONT
Jos Buttler. His experience playing in the IPL, his experience in international cricket, and his ability to be explosive towards the back-end of an innings, I see him having a massive role at this World Cup - as captain as well. STEVEN FINN
Afghanistan are capable of a huge upset. On their day, they could beat anyone, so every one of the traditional big hitters will need to be switched on against them. They have some destructive batters - particularly their openers Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz - while they've also got some dangerous spin bowlers making up their attack. NASSER HUSSAIN
As my bold prediction, I'm saying that for the first time in a 50-over World Cup Pakistan will beat India. They have won zero out of seven over the years. It's going to be the biggest game of the tournament, unless they meet again in a semi-final or, could you imagine, the final. It is sure to be a packed house; it will be mayhem and maybe Pakistan will jump a surprise. MICHAEL ATHERTON
Afghanistan could be giant-killers. They are a very dangerous team who can string together a complete performance at any stage. If they perform, they will turn somebody over. I think that will happen in Chennai, where they play both New Zealand and Pakistan. That ground plays right into their wheelhouse as they have explosive batters and spinners that bowl wicket-taking deliveries. EOIN MORGAN
England's path on their way to winning the last two World Cups (2019 50-over World Cup and 2022 T20 World Cup) has been kind of chequered. They lose to Sri Lanka in 2019 and to Ireland last year. Afghanistan are fully capable this year of tripping somebody up, so I'm predicting for England to fumble at one of the hurdles they should win, before having to pull out a huge performance against Australia and/or Pakistan to qualify for the knockout stage. MARK BUTCHER
Afghanistan could beat some really big teams in this World Cup. If they get on a roll, they could be a major banana skin for some teams because of the exciting brand of cricket they play. STEVEN FINN
I agree with the others, I can see Afghanistan pulling off a couple of upsets. TAMMY BEAUMONT
Watch the 2023 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup live on Sky Sports between Thursday October 5 and Sunday November 19. You can stream the tournament on NOW for £21 a month for six months. Cancel anytime.
