Former South African bowler Dale Steyn stated that he would want to see his country reach the finals of the ODI World Cup in India, but believes that India and England would go to the last two. The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 will be held in India from October 5 to November 19, 2023.

A total of 48 games will be played in the 46-day ICC event, as India hosts the World Cup as the solo host for the first time. Temba Bavuma-led side will be riding high on confidence after making a dramatic comeback against Australia in the five-match ODI series, taking the series 3-2 on their home soil.

During a discussion with Star Sports, Dale Steyn expressed his love for his home country as he wished for South Africa to advance to the final of the marquee event. He feels that Proteas will have an edge over other teams because many of its players play frequently in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He further believes that David Miller, Heinrich Klassen, and Kagiso Rabada have the potential to do well for the team in the mega event.

“It’s a tough one, you know my heart wants to go with South Africa making the final. I would love them to make the final, their team, a lot of their players play in the IPL, they play in India regularly. They got some guys like in David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen who started to figure out those conditions and bat well there”.

“Then, there is KG Rabada who has been bowling there for ages and a lot of their other senior players have played a lot of cricket there. So I feel like they can go on and get to the finals with getting those players,” Dale Steyn said.

Rabada and Lungi Ngidi can take care of the new ball, Jansen and Coetzee alongside spinners can be lethal weapons in the middle overs, while batters Quinton de Kock, Miller, and Klaasen can be crucial for the team’s success in the Indian conditions, as they have the ample amount of experience playing in the subcontinent.

South Africa will look up to the fighting performance in the marquee event in India. Proteas has got an excellent set of batters and bowlers, who can take the game away from the opponents in the impending ODI World Cup.