Waqar Younis omits Pakistan while picking his 2023 ODI World Cup finalists

The 2023 ODI World Cup is just four days away before the first ball being bowled. All ten teams are getting ready for the warm-up games. Pakistan’s first game saw them lose to New Zealand. Despite scoring 345 runs, thanks to a century by Mohammad Rizwan, the Kiwis romped home to a win.

Former Pakistan skipper and coach Waqar Younis has picked his two finalists for the 2023 ODI World Cup. The former fast-bowler though omitted his own country as one of the finalists. The 53-year-old was recently in conversation with Star Sports India the official broadcaster of the tournament.

Pakistan will face Australia in their second and final warm-up game. The Australians saw their tie against the Netherlands get washed out due to rain on Saturday. The match is set to be played in Hyderabad on the 3^rd of October.

Waqar Younis (source-Twitter)

Waqar Younis names his 2023 ODI World Cup finalists 

Former Pakistani captain Waqar Younis picked his two finalist teams for the 2023 ODI World Cup. The 53-year-old named India and England as the teams that will play the Summit clash on 19^th November. Interestingly, Waqar Younis left his own Pakistani side out of contention for a place in the final in Ahmedabad.

Speaking about India, the former Pakistan pacer said that home-ground familiarity will play a key role. As per the 53-year-old Indian tracks will favor the home team and will be a huge plus for Rohit Sharma’s side. Waqar Younis also said that India also has big-name players who deliver under pressure. The likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and Jasprit Bumrah in particular will be looked at closely.

The last time the two teams met was during the 2023 Asia Cup game in Colombo. India had posted 356 on the board and bowled out Pakistan for just 128 runs. India’s 228-run win came on the back of centuries by Virat Kohli and KL Rahul. Kuldeep Yadav picked 5 wickets to run through the Pakistani batting.

According to Waqar Younis, defending champions England will be the 2^nd favorite. The English team are defending champions after winning their first title in 2019. Waqar Younis complimented the overall makeup of the English side. The likes of Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Dawid Malan, Jos Buttler, and the rest of the team are in red-hot form.