World Cup to begin on Oct 5, Ahmedabad mega stadium to host final
MUMBAI: The Cricket World Cup will begin on October 5 with England facing New Zealand at the world’s biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad and the same venue hosting the final on November 19, organisers said on Tuesday, with the schedule for the showpiece in India also confirming Pakistan’s participation.
The most-awaited clash between rivals India and Pakistan will be played in the same potentially contentious venue on October 15, after the hosts kick off their campaign against Australia a week earlier in Chennai.
The fixtures were revealed by the International Cricket Council during an event in Mumbai, less than four months before the start of the 50-overs tournament, with the delay partly due to sour political relations between India and Pakistan.
India’s refusal to travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup in August-September triggered the latest dispute between the bitter neighbours, who play each other only in multi-team events.
Pakistan responded by threatening to boycott the World Cup if they were not allowed to stage at least some matches of the Asia Cup on home soil.
The stalemate was finally resolved this month when Pakistan agreed to split matches with Sri Lanka, where India will play their Asia Cup matches.
However, the Pakistan Cricket Board added a caveat saying they would still need government clearance for any tour to India, including World Cup match venues.
Ahmedabad, the home city of India’s Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is of concern to Muslim-majority Pakistan, who had earlier expressed reservations about playing at the 132,000-seat venue.
Ahmedabad was the centre of deadly 2002 religious riots in which at least 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed in sectarian violence that sent shock waves around the world.
In Pakistan’s previous cricket trip to India during the 2016 T20 World Cup, the match was shifted from Dharamsala to Kolkata over security concerns.
The ICC said Pakistan will not play any games in Mumbai. If Pakistan reach the semi-finals, they will play in Kolkata. If India qualify for the last four it will play their semi-final in Mumbai, unless the match is against Pakistan.
“Hundreds of millions of fans around the world will be part of what we hope will be the greatest ever men’s cricket World Cup,” ICC chief executive Geoff Allardice said in a statement.
“We know in India the teams will enjoy a unique electric atmosphere concluding with the winners lifting the trophy in the biggest cricket stadium in the world in Ahmedabad.”
The 48-match tournament will be played at 10 venues across 46 days, with the top four from the 10-team round-robin stage going through to the semi-finals, the ICC said in a statement 100 days before the tournament begins.
Besides Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Dharamsala, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai and Pune will host the games.
All venues will host five matches each except for Hyderabad, which will host three including two of Pakistan’s league games.
Eight teams have already qualified through the World Cup Super League. The final two spots will be filled at the end of the current qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe.
“It’s going to be a great experience playing in the World Cup at home,” Indian skipper Rohit Sharma said. “India won here 12 years ago, and I know fans nationwide can’t wait for us to take the field this time.”
Jay Shah, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, said it was a great honour for India to showcase the “rich diversity of our country.”
“The fervor and passion for cricket in India is unique,” Shah said. “I am sure fans both here and abroad would be looking forward to the tournament’s return to India for the first time since 2011, when our team became the first to lift the trophy on home soil.
“I wish all the teams the very best in their preparations and look forward to hosting what promises to be another exciting tournament.”
England’s opener against New Zealand is a rematch of the 2019 final in which England prevailed via a now-scrapped boundary count rule.
Among other key fixtures, 1992 champions Pakistan meet Australia in Bengaluru on October 20, while England take on South Africa the following day in Mumbai.
India will face England on October 29 in Lucknow, while the English will take on Australia on November 4 at Ahmedabad.
Australia captain Pat Cummins said he was looking forward to the atmosphere at the match with India in Chennai.
“You know there’s going to be big crowds, but no bigger than playing India at home in a World Cup game, so that’s going to be exciting for us,” he said. “It will be a huge challenge, they’re a top-class team but if you want to win a World Cup you’re going to have to be better than everyone else, so why not take on India straight up?”
The first semi-final will be on November 15 in Mumbai and the second in Kolkata the next day. There will be reserve days for the semis and the final, and all three will be day-night matches.
Published in Dawn, June 28th, 2023
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