The 2023 ODI World Cup will be held in India from October 5 to November 19. The tournament will begin with a rematch of the 2019 World Cup final between England and New Zealand. Hosts India will play their first match against Australia at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on October 8.
According to Akhtar, Pakistan is one of the strong contenders for the upcoming World Cup along with hosts India and defending champions England.
Speaking to Star Sports, Akhtar shared his thoughts on the upcoming World Cup and said, "Going into the World Cup, playing against Pakistan in India, Pakistan will be the underdog. Nobody is going to talk about the World Cup when these two face each other, it's just going to be India versus Pakistan.
“And I believe this is going to be one of the best World Cups of the past 50-60 years,” the former Pakistan pacer went on to add.
The former cricketer added that while many teams are in contention, for Pakistan to do well, they must play with a combination of three pacers, a medium pacer and two spinners.
He elaborated, “This is going to be the most amazing World Cup ever, with India hosting it. I want India to make full use of this World Cup. But Pakistan will be the underdog and what Pakistan will do is play with their three pacers along with the medium pacer and the two spinners. Pakistan will be a strong contender along with India and England."
Pakistan won the ODI World Cup in 1992 under the inspirational leadership of Imran Khan. They also won the T20 World Cup in 2009. Last year, they came back from the brink of elimination to reach the final of the 2022 T20 World Cup, where they lost to England.
--By A Cricket Correspondent
