The 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup marks the 13th edition of this prestigious cricket tournament. It’s a quadrennial One Day International (ODI) competition featuring men’s national teams, organized by the International Cricket Council (ICC). India is the proud host of this tournament, which commenced on October 5 and is set to conclude on November 19, 2023.
Ten national teams are actively participating in this tournament: Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, and Sri Lanka. These teams earned their spots through the 2023 Cricket World Cup qualification process. It’s worth noting that the West Indies, a former champion, failed to qualify for the first time in their history. England holds the defending champion title, having triumphed in the 2019 edition by defeating New Zealand in a thrilling final.
This event is historic as it’s the first time that India is the sole host of the men’s Cricket World Cup. In the past, the tournament was co-hosted with other countries on the Indian subcontinent in 1987, 1996, and 2011. Matches will be played across ten different stadiums, with the first and second semi-finals taking place at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai and Eden Gardens in Kolkata, respectively. The grand final will be held at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Background Information:
Originally scheduled from February 9 to March 26, 2023, the tournament was rescheduled to October and November 2023 due to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The tournament schedule was released by the ICC on June 27, 2023.
There was a dispute between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) over the 2023 Asia Cup, which was resolved in June 2023. The Asian Cricket Council decided to host the competition using a hybrid model proposed by the PCB, with nine out of the 13 matches in Sri Lanka.
Qualification:
Similar to the previous World Cup, this tournament features 10 teams. The primary qualification route was through the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League, a series of matches played between 2020 and 2023, rather than relying solely on ODI rankings. The top eight out of the 13 teams in the Super League automatically qualified. India, as the host, secured a place despite finishing fourth. In June and July 2023, the bottom five teams from the Super League and the top five ranked associate teams competed in the 2023 Cricket World Cup Qualifier for the remaining two slots.
Notably, the West Indies, Ireland, and Zimbabwe, all full members of the ICC, failed to qualify, making this tournament unique. Sri Lanka was the only full member to progress, and the last qualification spot went to the Netherlands after winning an eliminator match against Scotland.
| Means of qualification | Date | Venue | Births | Qualified |
| Host nation | — | — | 1 | India |
| ICC Super League | 30 July 2020 – 14 May 2023 | Various | 7 | Afghanistan Australia Bangladesh England New Zealand Pakistan South Africa |
| Qualifier | 18 June – 9 July 2023 | Zimbabwe | 2 | Sri Lanka Netherlands |
Marketing:
The International Cricket Council announced a world tour for the winners’ trophy, starting 100 days before the event. The trophy’s photographs were taken at various locations.
Initially, an opening ceremony was planned for October 4, 2023, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, but it was later canceled. Instead, a press conference featuring the ten team captains was arranged.
The ICC unveiled the mascots for the World Cup on August 19. These mascots, named “Tonk” and “Blaze,” represent gender equality and hail from the fictional cricketing utopia called Crictoverse.
The official theme song of the 2023 Cricket World Cup, titled “Dil Jashn Bole,” was released on September 20. The song features prominent artists and a music video with actor Ranveer Singh.
Venues:
This tournament spans ten different stadiums in India. The semi-finals will be held at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai and Eden Gardens in Kolkata, with the final taking place at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Significant upgrades and renovations have been made to these stadiums, including improved grass surfaces, drainage systems, seating, hospitality boxes, outfield upgrades, floodlights, and more. Measures have also been taken to reduce the impact of moisture on pitch conditions.
Squads:
All participating teams had to finalize their 15-player squads by September 28, 2023, with any replacements requiring approval from the ICC. The tournament featured a wide age range, with Dutch player Wesley Barresi being the oldest at 39 and Afghan spinner Noor Ahmad the youngest at 18.
Prize Money:
The ICC announced a prize money pool of $10 million for the tournament. The winner received $4 million, the runner-up got $2 million, and the losing semifinalists each received $800,000, mirroring the prize money distribution of the 2019 World Cup.
| Stage | Teams | Price Money (US$) | Total |
| Winner | 1 | $4,000,000 | $4,000,000 |
| Runner-up | 1 | $2,000,000 | $2,000,000 |
| Losing semi-finalists | 2 | $800,000 | $1,600,000 |
| Winner of each league stage match | 45 | $40,000 | $1,800,000 |
| Teams that do not pass the league stage | 6 | $100,000 | $600,000 |
| Total | $10,000,000 |
Warm-up Matches:
Warm-up matches took place from September 29 to October 3, 2023, at various stadiums in India.
Group Stage:
The group stage schedule was announced on June 27, 2023, with the opening match featuring the 2019 Cricket World Cup finalists, New Zealand and England, at Narendra Modi Stadium. Some fixtures, including the high-stakes India-Pakistan match, were rescheduled by the ICC on August 9, 2023.
Point Table: ICC Cricket World Cup 2023: Point Table
Fixtures
The ICC released the fixture details on 27 June 2023.
| 5 October 2023 | England v New Zealand | England vs. New Zealand |
| 6 October 2023 | Pakistan v Netherlands | Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad |
| 7 October 2023 | Afghanistan v Bangladesh | HPCA Stadium, Dharamshala |
| 7 October 2023 | South Africa v Sri Lanka | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi |
| 8 October 2023 | Australia v India | M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai |
| 9 October 2023 | New Zealand v Netherlands | Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad |
| 10 October 2023 | Bangladesh v England | HPCA Stadium, Dharamshala |
| 10 October 2023 | Pakistan v Sri Lanka | Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad |
| 11 October 2023 | Afghanistan v India | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi |
| 12 October 2023 | Australia v South Africa | BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow |
| 13 October 2023 | Bangladesh v New Zealand | M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai |
| 14 October 2023 | India v Pakistan | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad |
| 15 October 2023 | Afghanistan v England | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi |
| 16 October 2023 | Australia v Sri Lanka | BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow |
| 17 October 2023 | South Africa v Neatherlands | HPCA Stadium, Dharmashala |
| 18 October 2023 | Afghanistan v New Zealand | M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai |
| 19 October 2023 | Bangladesh v India | Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune |
| 20 October 2023 | Australia v Pakistan | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore |
| 21 October 2023 | Netherlands v Sri Lanka | BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow |
| 21 October 2023 | England v South Africa | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai |
| 22 October 2023 | India v New Zealand | HPCA Stadium, Dharamshala |
| 23 October 2023 | Afghanistan v Pakistan | M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai |
| 24 October 2023 | Bangladesh v South Africa | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai |
| 25 October 2023 | Australia v Netherlands | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi |
| 26 October 2023 | England v Sri Lanka | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore |
| 27 October 2023 | Pakistan v South Africa | M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai |
| 28 October 2023 | Australia v New Zealand | HPCA Stadium, Dharamshala |
| 28 October 2023 | Bangladesh v Netherlands | Eden Gardens, Kolkata |
| 29 October 2023 | England v India | BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow |
| 30 October 2023 | Afghanistan v Sri Lanka | Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune |
| 31 October 2023 | Bangladesh v Pakistan | Eden Gardens, Kolkata |
| 1 November 2023 | New Zealand v South Africa | Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune |
| 2 November 2023 | Inda v Sri Lanka | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai |
| 3 November 2023 | Afghanistan v Netherlands | BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow |
| 4 November 2023 | New Zealand v Pakistan | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore |
| 4 November 2023 | Australia v England | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad |
| 5 November 2023 | India v South Africa | Eden Gardens, Kolkata |
| 6 November 2023 | Bangladesh v Sri Lanka | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi |
| 7 November 2023 | Australia v Afghanistan | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai |
| 8 November 2023 | England v Netherlands | Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune |
| 9 November 2023 | New Zealand v Sri Lanka | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore |
| 10 November 2023 | Afghanistan v South Africa | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad |
| 11 November 2023 | Australia v Bangladesh | Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune |
| 11 November 2023 | England v Pakistan | Eden Gardens, Kolkata |
| 12 November 2023 | India v Netherlands | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore |
Knockout stage
If Pakistan makes it to the semifinals, they will play at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, according to the ICC. If India advances to the semifinals, they will play at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, barring a matchup with Pakistan (in which case the game will take place at Eden Gardens in Kolkata). A reserve day will be used for every knockout game.
Semi-finals
15 November 2023 1st Placed Team v 4th Placed Team Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
14:00
16 November 2023 2nd Placed Team v 3rd Placed Team Eden Gardens, Kolkata
14:00
Final
| 19 November 2023 14:00 | Winner of Semi-final 1 v Winner of Semi-final 2 | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad |
Broadcasting
The official broadcaster of the 2023 Cricket World Cup is Star Sports Network India. In India, the World Cup will be broadcast by Star Sports and the over-the-top service Disney+ Hotstar, with the latter promising free mobile streaming in both horizontal and vertical video formats. The tournament will be televised in vertical format for the first time; to do so, they plan to use specialized vertically oriented cameras, as well as vertical graphics and “bespoke production enhancements” to create the feed.
Also Read: Team India’s Squad for ICC ODI World Cup 2023
