After a lot of debate and discussion, the ICC on Tuesday finally released the schedule and venues where the high voltage action will take place from. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has unveiled the full fixtures for the upcoming ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India, along with the ten venues that will host the prestigious tournament spanning 46 days later this year. The World Cup will start on October 5 with a highly-anticipated clash between England and New Zealand, a rematch of the thrilling 2019 Final, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
The host nation, India, will commence its campaign on October 8, facing five-time World Cup champions Australia in Chennai.
A total of ten teams will participate in this showcase event, with the first eight already qualifying through the Cricket World Cup Super League. The remaining two spots will be determined at the conclusion of the Qualifier tournament in Zimbabwe, scheduled to end on July 9. The tournament will follow a round-robin format, with each team competing against the other nine. The top four teams from the group stage will advance to the knockout stage, leading to the highly-anticipated semi-finals.
The ten venues selected to host the matches include iconic cricket stadiums across the country. These venues are Chennai, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Delhi, Mohali, Nagpur, Jaipur, and Hyderabad. Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram alongside Hyderabad will be hosting the practice matches from 29 September to 3 October. This is the first time that the Northeastern state will host the premiere event.
Talking about India vs Pakistan clash, the nail-biting thriller will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on October 15, the International Cricket Council (ICC) declared on Tuesday. Previously, before the announcement of the World Cup 2023 fixtures, the Pakistan cricket board did not want to play against India in Ahmedabad and Afghanistan in Chennai and Bengaluru. But then the Board of Control for Cricket in India and the International Cricket Council did not agree to Pakistan's request.