"It’s going to be surely a carnival style opening" - Brian Lara excited for 2023 World Cup
Former West Indies great Brian Lara expects the 2023 World Cup to be a carnival, but expressed sadness about the Men in Maroon's absence from the event. While Lara backed India to win the tournament, he also highlighted the unpredictability of the competition.
The West Indies, led by Shai Hope, played the 2023 World Cup qualifiers, but failed to reach the main draw. The two-time world champions lost four out of five games in the qualifiers, including contests against Scotland, the Netherlands, and Zimbabwe.
With the World Cup kicking off on Thursday, October 5, the Trinidadian took to Instagram to express his thoughts on the upcoming tournament. Brian Lara wrote a few hours before the start of the opener between New Zealand and England:
"Whilst the entire West Indies, its diaspora and countless worldwide fans are still coming to terms with the reality that the Men in Maroon got shoved off the flight to India by Sri Lanka and the Netherlands… The rest of the cricket fraternity is ready for WC 2023.
"The ICC and BCCI pride themselves on always putting on a spectacle when collaborating for these all important cups. It’s going to be surely a carnival style opening in a few hours.
"But speaking as a former cricketer, when the show is done and the real spectacle begins we are all going to be anxiously waiting to see who gets knocked out, who makes it to the semis and who will emerge as the eventual finalists, winner and player of the World Cup."
Lara advised Team India head coach Rahul Dravid to forget the notion that one or two players can win them the tournament. He instead encouraged teamwork, writing:
"Expect six weeks of celebrations, but also heart breaks and disappointments. However you twist it, India will jump out as favorites along with England. I do have a message for my friend Rahul Dravid. GO AND WIN IT!!!
"I have some advice as well and I hope he takes it in the spirit it was meant. I urge him to eradicate the notion and the appearance that one or two of his extremely talented batters can always pull India through."
India are one of the favorites to win the World Cup thanks to their stellar home record. The Men in Blue also have momentum on their side, having won the Asia Cup 2023 and the bilateral ODI series against Australia convincingly.
"Anything can happen in a tournament like this" - Brian Lara
Brian Lara went on to wish all teams good luck and hopes to witness some memorable moments along with the most deserving team emerging as champions.
"In all World Cups, there comes a moment when a team and its players are asked to show their true mettle, to demonstrate what they're made of at the most crucial time," he wrote.
"While I feel Rahul Dravid, Rohit Sharma and India can raise the cup, cricket is known for its unpredictability, and anything can happen in a tournament like this."
"Let's hope for a thrilling and competitive World Cup with memorable moments for all fans to enjoy. May the best team emerge as champions! Good luck to all," Lara concluded.
As mentioned earlier, New Zealand and England will kick off the showpiece event in Ahmedabad. India will be in action three days later when they take on Australia in Chennai.