Cricket's biggest extravaganza kicks off today
Thursday, 5 October 2023
The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 kicks off today (Thursday) in India with defending champions England taking on New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, which will also host the final on November 19, report agencies.
The 13th edition of the Men's ODI World Cup will comprise 45 league matches and three knockout matches. Ten teams, including Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka will compete against each other in the much-awaited tournament.
Across the next 45 days, 48 matches will take place across 10 world class venues. The matches will be played at the following locations -- Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai; Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad; Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad; MCA International Stadium, Pune; MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai; M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru; Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium, Dharamsala; Eden Gardens, Kolkata; Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow and Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi.
Hundreds of millions of fans worldwide are expected to follow the World Cup through television broadcasts and streaming platforms, while hundreds of thousands more will witness the action live from the grounds in various states across India.
Under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, India is considered one of the top contenders for the title, along with defending champions England and the formidable New Zealand. Pakistan and Australia are also strong challengers on the road to the championship.
In home conditions, India will be the clear favourites to lift the trophy. Five-time champion Australia is the most decorated team in this tournament. The winner of the last ODI world cup (2019), England, is another strong contender for the trophy. Winner of the 1992 edition of the cricket world cup, Pakistan, is the dark horse of this tournament. In Asian conditions, they have the resources to beat the best of sides. New Zealand is another strong team. But the Kiwis have never won the ODI world cup. South Africa will be desperate to win this quadrennial tournament and shrug off the disreputable tag of 'chokers'. Winner of the 1996- edition, Sri Lanka, enters the tournament as under-dogs. Afghanistan is the new team in the block. This will not be the side's world cup debut, but it is a relatively new team. Netherlands have qualified for the ODI world cup several times in the past. There is no star in this European side.
West Indies and Zimbabwe, two Test-playing nations, failed to make it to the World Cup.
Bangladesh boasts a formidable squad, led by Shakib Al Hasan, entering the tournament as the number one ODI all-rounder, for 13th edition of the Cricket World Cup.
The Bangladesh squad is a blend of seasoned veterans and promising young talents. Alongside Shakib, Mushfiqur Rahim is set to participate in his fifth World Cup. Litton Das, Mustafizur Rahman, and Taskin Ahmed bring their wealth of World Cup experience to form a formidable force.
In the lead-up to the World Cup, Bangladesh suffered a home series loss to New Zealand, marking their first defeat to the Blackcaps on home soil in 15 years. The Tigers, however, secured a victory in their first official warm-up match against Sri Lanka before falling short in the second match against England.
Bangladesh will kick off their campaign against Afghanistan on October 07 in Dharamshala. Subsequently, they will face England at the same venue on October 10.
During the round-robin phase, Bangladesh is scheduled to play a total of nine matches in the World Cup. Following these matches, the top four teams with the highest points will progress to the semifinals. The winners of the semifinals will vie for the championship on November 19 at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
