NEW DELHI: The opening match of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, featuring defending champions England and runner-up New Zealand, is set to commence on October 5 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Ten teams will feature in this biggest Cricket World Cup ever, to be played across 10 venues from October 5 to November 19, with the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad hosting the tournament opener and the final. The event will feature 48 matches to be played across 46 days.
India’s World Cup campaign will begin with a match against Australia on October 8 in Chennai. Arch rivals India and Pakistan will square off at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 on October 15 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
The venues other than Ahmedabad and Chennai are Bengaluru, Delhi, Dharamsala, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai and Pune while Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram will join Hyderabad in hosting the practice games.
Apart from the opening match, The Narendra Modi Stadium will witness England vs Australia on November 4, South Africa vs Afghanistan on November 10 and the final on November 19.
Eight teams have qualified for the 46-day event through the Cricket World Cup Super League while the final two spots will be taken by the finalists of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier taking place in Zimbabwe.
The tournament retains the round-robin format of last time with all teams playing against each other for a total of 45 league matches. There are six day matches which will start at 10.30 am Indian Standard Time (IST) while all other matches, including the knockouts, will be day-night fixtures starting at 2 pm IST.
The top four teams will qualify for the semifinals, to be played in Mumbai on November 15 and in Kolkata on November 16. The semi-finals and the final will have reserve days.
Hyderabad will have three matches — Pakistan vs Qualifier 1 on October 6, New Zealand vs Qualifier 1 on October 9 and Pakistan vs Qualifier 2.
Dharamsala will host Bangladesh vs Afghanistan on October 7, England vs Bangladesh on October 10 and South Africa vs Qualifier 1 on October 16, India vs New Zealand on October 22, Australia vs New Zealand on October 29.
Delhi is gifted with five matches — South Africa vs Qualifier 2 on October 7, India vs Afghanistan on October 11, England vs Afghanistan on 15 October, Australia vs Qualifier 1 on October 25, and Bangladesh vs Qualifier 2 on November 6.
Apart from India’s opener, Chennai will host New Zealand vs Bangladesh on October 14, New Zealand vs Afghanistan on October 18, Pakistan vs Afghanistan on October 23, and Pakistan vs South Africa on October 27.
Lucknow will host Australia vs South Africa on October 13, Australia vs Qualifier 2 on October 17, Qualifier 1 vs Qualifier 2 (Day Game) on October 21, India vs England on October 29, and Qualifier 1 vs Afghanistan on November 3.
Pune will host India vs Bangladesh on October 19, Afghanistan vs Qualifier 2 on October 30, New Zealand vs South Africa on November 1, England vs Qualifier 1 on November 8, and Australia vs Bangladesh (Day Game) on November 12.
Bengaluru will host Australia vs Pakistan on October 20, England vs Qualifier 2 on October 26, New Zealand vs Pakistan (Day Game) on November 4, New Zealand vs Qualifier 2 on November 9, India vs Qualifier 1 on November 11.
Mumbai will host the first semifinal match on November 15 including England vs South Africa on October 21, South Africa vs Bangladesh on October 24, India vs Qualifier on November 2, and Australia vs Afghanistan on November 7.
The second semifinal will take place in Kolkata and other matches which will be hosted by Eden Gardens are Qualifier 1 vs Bangladesh on October 28, Pakistan vs Bangladesh on October 31, India vs South Africa on November 5, and England vs Pakistan on November 12. (ANI)