The ICC ODI World Cup 2023 is finally underway. The cricketing festival has commenced in India, as the countries from all over the world aim for the ultimate glory.
While India headed into the flagship competition as the number 1 ranked team in the world, they are followed by arch-rivals Pakistan who dropped from the number 1 spot a couple of weeks ago.
The Men in Green where the top-ranked team during the Asia Cup 2023 which was co-hosted by Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
As Pakistan failed to reach the final of the competition and India won the tournament and subsequently defeated Australia 2-1 in a ODI series, the Men in Blues grabbed the top spot just before the World Cup.
While Pakistan's rise to the top of the ranking in September was much talked about especially as they had beaten teams like New Zealand Australia earlier this tear, former Pakistani international batsman Misbah-ul-Haq claimed that the team's ranking only improved as they played against third and fourth string teams of Australia and New Zealand and that the ranking was very wlittle to do with the actualy standard of cricket Pakistan play.
What did Misbah-Ul-Huq say about Pakistan's ODI Ranking?
Former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Huq urged everyone to accept the reality of Pakistan's ICC rankings and claimed that the team is far from being one of the best in the world at the moment.
Speaking in a segment A Sports, Misbah said,
The 'C' and 'D' teams of top-ranked teams like New Zealand and Australia played against Pakistan. Pakistan beat West Indies and gained rating on the World Rankings table. We should see the actual facts.
Misbah added,
The actual facts are that Pakistan could not even beat the "C" and "D" teams of Australia and New Zealand. There were high-scoring games in the Australia series, something which shouldn't have happened in the first place. New Zealand gave a tough fight to Pakistan as well'.
We became no. 1 in ODIs by beating Australia's C team and New Zealand's D team - Misbah ul Haq pic.twitter.com/UafJjZbAuM
— Ghumman (@emclub77) October 5, 2023
MORE: Who is the leading wicket-taker at ODI World Cup 2023?
When will Pakistan play their first ODI World Cup match?
Pakistan will face Netherlands as their first opponents of the ODI World Cup 2023. The Men in Green will play the Dutch at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. The teams will take the centerstage on Friday, October 6, 2023.
MORE: Who is the leading run-scorer at Cricket World Cup 2023?
Who will win the 2023 World Cup?
India, England and Australia are among the top five favourites for the 2023 World Cup title. The odds from Dafabet are as follows.
| Team | Odds (Dafabet) |
|---|---|
| India | 3.25 |
| England | 4.50 |
| Australia | 5.00 |
| Pakistan | 8.00 |
| New Zealand | 9.00 |
Think you know who will win the 2023 Cricket World Cup? Place your bets here with Dafabet!
You can also play Dafabet's CWC 2023 predictor game, and win the latest Apple gadget and big INR prizes, by clicking here!
