Chevrons to open WC account against Pakistan

THE Chevrons look well on course to booking their place in the 2023 Cricket World Cup Qualifiers and their possible opponents in the global showpiece that will be held in October in India have been revealed.

Only two teams from the ongoing World Cup Qualifiers which are taking place in Zimbabwe can proceed to the World Cup.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) released the fixtures schedule yesterday for the tournament. Should Zimbabwe proceed to the World Cup, they will either begin their tournament against Pakistan or the Proteas (South Africa) in Ahmedabad on either 6 or 7 October respectively. Pakistan faces Qualifier 1 in their opener while South Africa will open their account against Qualifier 2.

Qualifier 1 and 2 are the two teams that would have came through from the Qualifiers in Zimbabwe. The Chevrons’ World Cup dream gains momentum tomorrow when they start their Super Six matches against Oman tomorrow at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.

Ten teams feature in what will be the biggest Cricket World Cup ever, to be played across 10 venues from 5 October to 19 November, with the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad hosting the tournament opener and the final. The World Cup opener will be between England and New Zealand on 5 October.

The other nine venues are Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Dharamsala, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai and Pune. Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram will join Hyderabad in hosting the practice games.

Defending champions England will take on New Zealand in a much-awaited clash between the 2019 World Cup finalists that opens the tournament in Ahmedabad, while hosts India will face-off against five-time winners Australia in Chennai on 8 October.

Ahmedabad will also host matches between traditional rivals India and Pakistan (15 October) and Australia and England (4 November).

Eight teams have qualified for the 46-day event through the Cricket World Cup Super League.
The tournament retains the round-robin format of last time with all teams playing against each other for a total of 45 league matches. There are six day matches which will start at 10.30AM Indian Standard Time (IST) while all other matches, including the knockouts, will be day-night fixtures starting at 2PM IST.

The top four teams will qualify for the semifinals, to be played in Mumbai on 15 November and in Kolkata on 16 November. The semi-finals and the final will have reserve days.

“We are delighted to release the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 schedule which is always a huge occasion ahead of any global event.

“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 and 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,” said ICC Chief Executive, Geoff Allardice.

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Jay Shah said it’s an honor to host the World Cup and wished all the teams the best of luck.

“It’s a matter of great honour and pride to be hosting the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in different cities across India, showcasing the rich diversity of our country.

“The fervour and passion for cricket in India is unique. 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. wish all the teams the very best in their preparations and look forward to hosting what promises to be another exciting tournament,” he said.

The Chevrons will play all their Super Six matches at Queens Sports Club and two wins will be enough to see them qualify to the World Cup. – @brandon_malvin