Dale Steyn picks Babar Azam as top run-scorer in World Cup 2023

Babar Azam scored 474 runs, which included three fifties and century in the 2019 World Cup edition

PHOTO: AFP

As anticipation builds for the upcoming 2023 ODI World Cup, cricket experts worldwide are joining forces in discussions to predict the tournament's top run-scorer.

The tournament is scheduled to kick off on 5th October with a match between defending champions England and New Zealand.

Pakistan will begin their campaign against the Netherlands on 6th October in Hyderabad.

In a video released by Star Sports, cricket pundits and experts were asked to identify the batter they believe will score the most runs in this year's World Cup.

Many renowned cricketers singled out "Shubman Gill" as the leading run-scorer in the upcoming tournament.

Interestingly, there was a single cricket legend who predicted that the Pakistan skipper would be the top run-getter in the event.

Former South African pacer, Dale Steyn, diverged from this consensus and named Pakistan skipper, Babar Azam, as the tournament's highest run-scorer.

"Leading run-scorer is probably gonna be somebody like Babar," he said.

Who will write history with his bat in the #CWC23? Our experts pick! 😍
Prince @ShubmanGill is one of the most chosen! Who would you choose?#WorldCupOnStar #Cricket pic.twitter.com/2QsFDBo4ba
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) October 2, 2023

However, former Pakistan pacer, Waqar Younis, broke once again from the consensus and chose not to name a Pakistan batter for this honor. Instead, he predicted that Shubman Gill would secure the top run-scorer spot in this year's mega-event edition.

It is worth noting that during the 2019 World Cup, the 28-year-old managed to accumulate 474 runs in eight matches, with an average of 67.71, coupled with a strike rate of 87.77, which included three fifties and a century, notably against New Zealand.