India will host Pakistan for the first time in seven years after the schedule for the 2023 men's ODI World Cup was released by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday.
The World Cup will begin on October 5 in Ahmedabad where defending champions England take on New Zealand in a rematch of the 2019 final. The tournament will conclude with the final on November 19, also in Ahmedabad, after the semi-finals in Mumbai and Kolkata on November 15 and 16.
Hosts India begin their tournament against Australia on October 8 in Chennai, before facing Afghanistan in Delhi on October 11. They will then face neighbours Pakistan in Ahmedabad on October 15.
India's remaining fixtures are: Bangladesh in Pune on October 19, New Zealand in Dharamsala on October 22, England in Lucknow on October 29, a qualifier in Mumbai on November 2, South Africa in Kolkata on November 5, and the other qualifier in Bengaluru on November 11.
India and most of the other teams will play nine of their 10 league games at different venues across the country, but Pakistan will play in only five cities, those being Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Kolkata. Australia, meanwhile, will play in eight cities.
Should India reach the semi-finals, they are expected to play the match in Mumbai, unless their opponents are Pakistan. In that case, the game will be moved to Kolkata.
England win 2019 Cricket World Cup
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England's Eoin Morgan and teammates celebrate after beating New Zealand to win the 2019 World Cup. Reuters -
Jofra Archer, left, and Chris Woakes after England's triumph over New Zealand in the World Cup final at Lord's in July 2019. PA -
Liam Plunkett holds the World Cup trophy aloft alongside captain Eoin Morgan. Getty -
England's Jos Buttler, second left, celebrates with teammates after running out New Zealand batsman Martin Guptill to win the World Cup final on July 1, 2019. AP -
England players celebrate after winning the Cricket World Cup final at Lord's. AP -
England's Chris Woakes celebrates taking the wicket of New Zealand's Henry Nicholls that was later overturned by DRS. Reuters -
England fans during the World Cup final. Getty -
Jason Roy of England celebrates with fans after victory. Getty -
England's Jofra Archer appeals unsuccessfully for the wicket of New Zealand's Martin Guptill. Reuters -
A screen at Lord's signals the game is going to a Super Over. Getty -
A member of The Red Devils parachute display team before the match. Reuters -
General view inside Lord's before the match. Early showers over London delayed the coin toss by 15 minutes. Reuters -
The Cricket World Cup trophy. Reuters -
England's Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali before the match. Reuters -
England players celebrate after clinching victory. PA -
England players celebrate. PA -
England celebrate victory. PA -
England players celebrate on the balcony at Lord's. PA -
Jos Buttler of England celebrates running out Martin Guptill. Getty
The release of the official schedule comes just 100 days before the start of the tournament, causing plenty of concern and criticism among fans and stakeholders. One of the main reasons behind the delay is the back and forth between India and Pakistan over scheduling of major tournaments, mainly for political reasons.
By comparison, the schedules for the 2019 and 2015 Cricket World Cups were released more than a year in advance.
The 2023 World Cup will follow the same format as 2019: 10 teams will be involved in the league stage and will all play each other, with the top four progressing to the knockout semi-finals.
Two qualifiers are aiming to join India, Pakistan, England, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh at the tournament. Among those still in contention to qualify are Zimbabwe, where the qualifying tournament is being played, and Sri Lanka.
However, the West Indies' hopes of reaching the tournament have been dealt a major blow after the two-time champions suffered successive shock defeats to Zimbabwe and the Netherlands.
