As the cricketing world braces itself for the highly-anticipated ICC ODI World Cup 2023, former England captain Eoin Morgan, now a prominent broadcaster, has made bold predictions about the tournament’s winner and the Player of the Tournament.
The ODI World Cup is all set to kick off with an electrifying encounter between England and New Zealand on October 5, 2023. In 2019, England, under the inspirational leadership of Morgan, emerged victorious, securing their maiden ODI World Cup title in a thrilling final.
Jos Buttler has taken over the reins of captaincy from Morgan for this edition of the World Cup. Morgan, who played a pivotal role in England’s historic win, has since retired from international cricket and transitioned into a broadcasting role. Recently, he co-hosted a meeting of all the participating captains alongside Ravi Shastri in Ahmedabad.
Eoin Morgan’s predictions
Morgan, known for his astute cricketing acumen, did not hold back in sharing his predictions for the tournament. He expressed his belief that England would replicate their 2019 heroics and lift the prestigious trophy once more. Despite not being the tournament favorites, Morgan highlighted England’s consistent performance over the past six to seven years and their comprehensive skill set, which includes a formidable pace-spin combination and an ability to score quickly.
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“I think the winners of this year’s World Cup will be England. Defending champions have been at the top of their game for 6-7 years. They won’t go into the tournament as favorites, which I think is a good thing. It takes a little bit of pressure away when it comes to expectations. But they have every base covered, pace, and spin, and they score very quickly,” Morgan confidently stated during an interview with Sky Sports.
Rohit Sharma: Morgan’s Player of the Tournament
Morgan also reserved high praise for Indian skipper Rohit Sharma while discussing the Player of the Tournament. He anticipated that Rohit’s explosive batting prowess, particularly at the top of the order, will be a game-changer in the tournament. He further emphasized Rohit’s impeccable record in Indian conditions and predicted that he would amass a significant number of runs with the bat.
“I think the Player of the Tournament in this year’s Cricket World Cup will be India’s Rohit Sharma. At the top of the order, he is very destructive, and his record in India is impeccable. So I envisage him scoring a lot of runs with the bat,” added Morgan.
