The legendary South African batsman Herschelle Gibbs has named England and India as his two favourite teams to win the quadrennial cup.
The 44-year-old said, “It is always wide open. The two standout contenders will be England and India. But, who is going to make the other two places for the semi-finals? It is difficult to say. A lot depends on the weather in England. The bowling attacks will all play a part (in the tournament).”
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England are currently at the top of the ICC ODI rankings table while India are well placed at the second position. They are followed by New Zealand and South Africa in ODI rankings.
While talking about South Africa's chances in the World Cup Gibbs said that his country has a fair chance to break the jinx this time, despite the absence of talisman AB de Villiers.
De Villiers was the captain of South Africa in 2015 World Cup which was played in Australia and New Zealand. He announced retirement from international cricket last year. The side is now being led by batsman Faf du Plessis.
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Pointing out the weakness in South Africa XI former Proteas said, “we (South Africa) are always up there irrespective of ABD. We have got Faf (Du Plessis) and Quinton de Kock. The only issue for South Africa is not having an all-rounder.”
The former batsman has played three World Cups for South Africa in a career that spanned over 14 years. He scored over 14,000 runs in international cricket with the help of 35 centuries.
