Cricket World Cup

World Cup Fever is in the air for sports fans and as the Rugby World Cup concludes then October sees the start of the ICC’s Cricket World Cup 2023. Held every four years, this will be the 13th edition of the Cricket World Cup and the first to be solely held in India, a nation that is simply cricket mad!

You can listen to the coverage on BBC Radio 5 AM on the medium wave – frequencies 693 and 909 kHz.

The traditional ‘50 over’ version tournament runs from 5th October to 19th November. Matches will be spread across 10 stadiums throughout India, culminating in the final being played at the magnificent Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. This iconic stadium has an incredible seating capacity of 134,000 spectators – making it the largest cricket stadium in the world. It stands on the same plot where the now demolished Sardar Patel stadium stood from 1982 to 2015. The new stadium was completed in February 2020 at an estimated cost of £80 million. The two semi-finals will be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai and Eden Gardens in Kolkata, West Bengal.

Qualification & format

As in the previous World Cup in 2019, the tournament will feature 10 teams. The main route for qualifying was through the new ICC Cricket World Cup Super League, which staged a series of matches between 13 teams. The top eight teams qualified for the World Cup automatically, which were Afghanistan, Bangladesh, England, New Zealand, Pakistan, Australia and South Africa, along with India who, as hosts, were guaranteed a place. The bottom 5 teams and the top-ranked associate sides (countries where cricket is firmly established and organised, but who do not qualify for full membership) then competed for the two remaining places, resulting in qualification for Sri Lanka and the Netherlands. As a result of the qualifying process, it will be the first not to include former winners West Indies after their defeat to Scotland. Ireland and Zimbabwe also miss out.

Group stage

For the round-robin group stage, sides will play each of the other 9 teams once. They will receive 2 points for a win and 1 point for a draw or no result. After the 45 matches have been completed, the top four teams will progress through to the semi-finals to be played on the 15th & 16th November. The winning teams will then progress to the final to be played on 19th November.

Trophy tour

By the time the winning team is presented with the World Cup, it’s fair to say that the trophy itself would have been on an incredible journey. On the 27th June, 100 days before the start of the tournament, the ICC (International Cricket Council) launched the trophy 120,000 feet (37km) into the air attached to a bespoke stratospheric balloon. The trophy has travelled to 18 countries including Kuwait, Bahrain, Malaysia, USA, Nigeria, Uganda, France and Italy. Some truly stunning shots have been captured with it sitting on the edge of the earth’s atmosphere.

ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice said. “This Tour will see the iconic silverware meet heads of state, launch community initiatives and support cricket development programmes, in addition to visiting some of the most iconic landmarks around the globe. Cricket has more than a billion fans and we want to give as many people as possible the opportunity to get up close to this famous trophy that has been held aloft by some of the greatest legends of our sport.”

England

Having defeated New Zealand in dramatic fashion in 2019 the defending champions arrive in good form and are boosted by the return of talisman Ben Stokes. Having retired from one-day cricket last year due to a chronic knee injury it was a familiar tale of batting heroics against New Zealand in September hitting a record-breaking 182 off 124 balls at the Oval – including 15 fours and nine sixes! England has developed a new attacking style of play dubbed ‘Bazball’ under coach Brendon Barrie McCallum, having also won the T20 (20 over version) World Cup in 2022. Could England repeat the success of fours ago? They surely have a real chance.

Contenders 

With home advantage and a squad full of experience and young talent, India will start the tournament as favourites to win their third World Cup title. Whilst their bowling line-up might be a concern, India’s batting line-up is as strong as ever, with the likes of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli.

Probably the most anticipated match in the group stages takes place on 15th October when India faces Pakistan. Matches between these two countries are marked by unparalleled levels of intensity and passion and the atmosphere will surely be electric! Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam is regarded as one of the best batsmen in world cricket and the familiar conditions of playing on the sub-continent will be sure to suit.

Of course any cricket competition wouldn’t be complete without the Australians. The record five-time winners are sure to be right up there in the mix with neighbouring New Zealand, who themselves have finished as runners-up in the last two World Cup finals. 

With at least one match a day from 5th October to 12th November, make sure you tune in each morning to what is set to be the most competitive Cricket World Cup ever!