Even though Kuldeep Yadav is the leading ODI wicket-taker in 2023 among the bowlers who will feature in the World Cup 2023, and senior India off-spinner R Ashwin has made a successful comeback in the ODI side, for Muttiah Muralitharan, he picked two other spinners to watch out for in the upcoming tournament in India.
The World Cup is just around the corner. And the ex-cricketers who are involved in broadcasting around the world or will be making YouTube videos for their channels have been making their predictions for the tournament.
Muttiah Muralitharan, who will be with broadcaster Star Sports for the tournament, snubbed Kuldeep, Ashwin, and even Zampa and Adil Rashid to pick Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan and Sri Lanka’s Maheesh Theekshana as the two spinners to keep an eye on the World Cup 2023.
”I will go for Rashid Khan as I admire his bowling and he is a little different than others and Maheesh Theekshana because he has a carrom ball which is very special like Ajantha Mendis. So these are unknown and not regular spinners, so I will go with these two,” Muralitharan said on Star Sports.
Definitely spinners will do well in World Cup 2023: Muralitharan
The ODI World Cup is back in the subcontinent after the last two ODI WCs were played in England and Australia.
Muralitharan, who is the leading international wicket-taker still after a dozen years of his retirement, is confident that spin bowlers will have a bigger say in the tournament than pacers.
“Definitely spinners will do well because it’s a longer format and every team will play at least two spinners in the side. Spinners in Indian pitches will help a little bit of spin, they can dominate because the bowlers will have 10 overs and not four overs like T20Is.
“Captains will use spinners a lot in this World Cup because we are not playing England, Australia, New Zealand, or any other country. Spinners will always have an edge on the fast bowlers,” the Sri Lankan legend added.
