Former Australia World Cup winning captain Steve Waugh has picked Sri Lanka as fourth semi finalist team in the ongoing World Cup in England and Wales. Known to surprise the opposition with his tactics, Waugh stumped everyone with his choice of semi-finalists. While there was no surprise in him going with defending champions Australia, last World Cup runner-ups New Zealand and India but his decision to exclude table toppers England and name Sri Lanka as the fourth semi-finalist was least expected.
Almost halfway through the group stages of the ICC World Cup 2019, the top four teams – England, Australia, New Zealand and India – have not only created a gap from the rest of the teams in terms of points but have also shown the difference of class with power-packed performances on the cricket field. But Waugh believed Sri Lanka is ‘destined’ to join Australia, New Zealand and India in the semi-finals of the World Cup.
“Whilst Sri Lanka didn’t really threaten Australia with perhaps the exception of their first 15 overs of batting it was another positive step for a team that seems destined to be joined in the semis with England, New Zealand and India.
“Each of these teams will be fine tuning and gathering impetus and knowledge before a final week where they only need to win two games to stand aloft. It could come down to one individual who leaves his mark and creates a legacy for himself and his team, Waugh added.
Waugh also picked the best batsman of ICC World Cup 2019 based on performances so far. While there has been some notable knocks from Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan and India’s Rohit Sharma – both of them playing crucial roles in their respective sides victories – Waugh has gone in with Australia captain Aaron Finch as his pick for the best player of the tournament so far.
Finch is currently the third highest run-getter of the tournament with 343 runs to his name at an average of 68.60.
“He has remained calm and composed off the field in dealing with the media and has unquestionably been the premier batsman of the tournament,” Waugh added.
