The biggest cricketing extravaganza is upon us. The ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 is set to begin on October 5th, 2023. India is set to host this year’s Cricket World Cup, and is surely going to be the biggest blockbuster event. India last co-hosted this tournament with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in 2011.
As the World Cup fixtures are out, one can clearly see that all of the fixtures are mouthwatering. The tournament will be played in a round robin format which was implemented from 2019’s ICC Cricket World Cup, and it gave the tournament an elite competitive spirit. With this round-robin format, we are guaranteed some of cricket’s most talked about rivalries, i.e. India vs Pakistan clash, Australia vs England contest, and many other thrilling matches.
From October 5th, the sporting gala kicks off. The atmosphere inside the Ahmedabad stadium on Sunday November 19th will be once in a lifetime experience.
Moving on to discuss some of the key matches in the group stage of this event. These fixtures are definitely going to play a major role in deciding the semi-finalists of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.
India vs Pakistan – 14th October
India Pakistan clash is arguably the biggest box office clash of the sporting world. A cricket world cup without this fixture seems a lull. The political tension between the two nations adds fuel to the fire. The anticipation of the fans for this match starts as soon as the fixture gets announced. The hype only amplifies the intensity with which the game is played by both the teams. Regardless of the off-field antics, the sportsmanship and the humbleness between the players is top-notch. Gift exchanges, sharing of cricket tips, and respect has been evident off the field among players. But the on-field intensity never falls off.
India has been the clear dominant team in ODI Cricket World Cups. They have won all seven matches in ODI World Cups played against Pakistan. In the 2019 edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup, India gave Pakistan a comprehensive defeat of 89 runs (DLS) in a rain-affected match that took place in Manchester, England. It was India’s current skipper, Rohit Sharma, who played a brilliant innings of 140 runs, which proved to be too much for the Pakistani batters to chase.
Skipper Rohit Sharma will gladly take a similar style of victory when the two teams face off in Ahmedabad on 14th October, 2023. India will be cherishing the home support, however, Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam will be hoping to turn the tables this time around. Babar Azam is currently ranked No. 1 ODI batsman in the world, and he has the experience of beating India in World Cup matches as his side beat India in T20 World Cup 2021 for the first time in any world cup game.
The sea of blue is expected to be seen in full flow at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. They will be hoping for yet another masterclass from Virat Kohli, similar to the one he played against Pakistan at the MCG in 2022. Melbourne remembers Virat Kohli’s dramatic chase when the chips were down. Pakistani bowlers will be out for revenge and would not want to see a repeat of what happened in 2019 or 2022. They have a fearsome pace attack, and the battle of Indian batters vs Pakistani pacers will be a treat to watch.
Don’t miss the chance to get cricket tickets for this match. It’s going to be a banger.
England vs New Zealand – 5th October
Who can forget the final of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup between England and New Zealand? Arguably, it was the best final of all time, which went to a super over, and the winner was decided on a boundary count rule.
This encounter will be the opening of this year’s World Cup. We are sure to be entertained if they could produce something similar to what they produced in that famous final.
An early win in the tournament will give a huge boost to the winning team in their bid to qualify for the final four. Therefore, both the teams will swing on all fours.
New Zealand has been boosted with Kane Williamson’s name being announced in their squad, but his fitness remains to be seen. England, on the other hand, have recalled the hero of the final, Ben Stokes, back from retirement.
England is a white ball force at the moment and are the holders of both ODI and T20 World Cups.
India vs Australia – 8th October
Chennai will host a massive contest among the two most decorated ODI teams in cricket. It will be the opening game for both the teams and an incentive to set their campaign on a winning path.
Rohit Sharma and his men, who are considered the favourites to win the tournament, will face stern competition from the five-time world champions, Australia.
Australia will be looking to overcome their demons of playing in India as they haven’t won any world tournament hosted in India. On the other hand, India will be looking to get the number of Australia after having lost the ICC World Test Championship Final 2023 at the Oval, London.
Australia vs South Africa – 12th October
South Africa had a pretty poor run in the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup, having won only 3 matches out of 9. Interestingly enough, one of their wins came against Australia. Faf du Plessis was the star of the show with his century in Manchester.
It seems unlikely that Faf du Plessis will be featuring in South Africa’s squad this time around. They will be hoping for Aiden Markram to fill the boots and deliver the goods.
South Africa will start their campaign against Sri Lanka. If they can win against Sri Lanka in their opener, then the contest against Australia will be finely poised, as a win over Australia will make their bid for the final four a bit easier.
Australia will start off against India and the Proteas after that. The fixtures don’t seem to give a break to Aussies but they will have to give their best in order to win the tournament.
Bangladesh vs Afghanistan – 7th October
Bangladesh ranked 3rd in the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League, securing a direct entry to the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup. It came as a surprise to many, but watching their quicks and their star all-rounder Shakib’s performance in the recently concluded Asia Cup, there is no doubt about the quality. They take great confidence from their win against India in Asia Cup.
Bangladesh will be looking to carry forward the momentum and a win over Afghanistan will help a great deal in giving a satisfactory performance at the grand event.
Afghanistan will be banking on their spinners to have a great impact. Indian playing conditions will suit their spinners and their star spinner Rashid Khan. Rashid Khan has gained plenty of experience playing in the IPL and will be sharing this experience with other members of the team.
