All You Need to Know for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023
With the start of the tournament just days away, all the important details ahead of the first delivery that will be bowled on 5 October.
Group Format
Played in the same format as Cricket World Cup 2019, the 10 teams at Cricket World Cup 2023 will play every other side once in a single round robin format, with the top four teams going on to the semi-finals.
The top team after the round robin will play the team finishing fourth on the table, while the second and third-place finishers will meet in the other semi-final.
The winners of each semi-final will meet in the final on 20 November.
How many points will your team need to reach the semi-finals?
Taking a look at the 2019 edition, seven victories from nine should be enough to guarantee a semi-final spot, with India and Australia’s 7-2 record (India also had an extra point for a rained-out fixture) four years ago enough to place both in the top two.
Assuming little to no inclement weather, six wins could place teams in a precarious spot.
If teams are level on points, total wins is the next tie-breaker, with net run rate the next factor to consider when differentiating teams.
To use 2019 as an example, New Zealand edged Pakistan to fourth spot on net run rate after both teams finished on equal points (11) and equal wins (five), with the pair also taking a point from a no-result.
A scenario with at least three teams on six wins would likely mean a team misses out on net run rate, so seven wins should be the minimum goal for teams vying for the trophy.
How Teams Qualified
After India qualified as hosts, the next seven teams were decided by finishing positions in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Super League, a three-year competition where 13 teams played eight three-match bilateral series each.
New Zealand, England, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa all progressed to the Cricket World Cup via a top eight position in the competition, while the bottom five went on to the Cricket World Cup Qualifier, joining others from League 2 and the Qualifier Play-off tournament.
Sri Lanka and the Netherlands, after finishing 10th and 13th respectively in Super League, went on to progress to Cricket World Cup 2023 only via the Qualifier.
Sri Lanka went unbeaten in group play and in the Super Six stage to go through, while The Netherlands qualified by squeezing past Scotland and Zimbabwe on net run rate in the Super Sixes.
The Dutch managed to chase Scotland’s target of 278 quick enough to overtake them to book India tickets.
Prize money
An overall US$10 million pot has been announced for the tournament.
The winners of the tournament will take home US$4 million, with the runners-up winning US$2 million.
Teams will also collect US$40,000 after every group stage win.
How to watch
The ICC’s Global broadcast partner Disney Star and its licensees will broadcast each of the 48 matches live on a global basis.
In India, Star Sports Network will be the place to watch, while cricket’s first-of-its-kind vertical feed coverage produced by ICC TV and supported by Disney Star will provide fans with an easier and more intuitive mobile phone viewing experience of all 48 matches allowing users to consume content on-the-go.
Fans in the UK can catch the action live on Sky Sports Cricket, Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Mix, Sky Showcase and digitally via the SkyGO and Sky Sports App. Primetime, free-to-air highlights will be available on Channel 5 and My5 App for the first time.
WillowTV will be the channel to watch for fans in the USA whilst coverage will also be available via the ESPN+ app. SuperSport and its app will broadcast the action in South Africa and to the 52 Sub-Saharan Africa territories. Fox Sports and Kayo will be the home of Australian coverage along with select matches on Channel Nine and 9Now. For fans in New Zealand, Sky Sport NZ is the place to be for Men’s Cricket World Cup matches.
In the UAE and the entire MENA region, all matches will be streamed Live on STARZPLAY, with broadcast coverage made available on CricLife MAX in the UAE.
A complete list of broadcasters below.
Venues
A total of 10 grounds will play host to the 13th edition of the World Cup, from Dharamsala in the north to as far south as Bangalore and Chennai.
Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
The largest sports stadium in the world will host the tournament opener on 5 October, the India v Pakistan fixture on 14 October, and the tournament final slated for 19 November.
The 132,000-capacity venue’s redevelopment was completed in 2021, hosting a day-night Test between India and England, as well as the last two IPL finals.
Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
It won’t be until 20 October for the Chinnaswamy Stadium’s first match at Cricket World Cup 2023, though the venue will be sure to see its fair share of action as the tournament heads towards the business end.
Australia take on Pakistan there in the ground’s first match, likely dictating the semi-final prospects of each team. Babar Azam’s charges and New Zealand feature there twice, and face each other on 4 November.
With boundary sizes of around 65 metres, high scores are expected.
M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
The stadium will host five games at the tournament, including the first matches for Australia and India of the campaign on 8 October. Pakistan’s meeting with South Africa, the last match at the ground on 27 October, could prove to springboard either team’s campaign for the trophy.
On the Indian Ocean, the ground will likely be the most humid across all venues.
Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
A venue steeped in cricketing history, the pace of the wicket in India’s capital has sped up, suggesting higher scores than numbers may suggest.
Bangladesh take on Sri Lanka in the last game there on 6 November, a match both would have circled in their calendars as a must win.
Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium, Dharamsala
One for the bucket list, the HPCA Stadium has held global tournament cricket through the Men’s and Women’s T20 World Cup
With its picturesque views of the Himalayan mountains in the distance, the ground is on the smaller side and should see high-scoring encounters, beginning on 7 October when Afghanistan and Bangladesh meet.
Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Before the Narendra Modi Stadium’s renovation, Eden Gardens held the title for the largest venue in India with a capacity of 68,000.
The ground won’t see action until 28 October, though it will be the backdrop for crucial cricket at the backend, with five matches, including one of the semi-finals.
The ground is known for its lively pitch and breezy conditions next to the Hooghly River.
BRSABVE Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
A newer ground, Lucknow’s stadium is largely an unknown on the international front, though the venue has seen marked use in the T20 format through the Indian Premier League.
The stage will be set for Australia vs South Africa on 12 October, with both teams having Lucknow Super Giants players on hand to provide insight.
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
A “cricket capital” of sorts, the Wankhede will feature in the back half of the tournament, first on 21 October when England take on South Africa.
The distinct red-soil pitch will no doubt play its part in the tournament, most notably in one of the semi-finals on 15 November.
MCA International Stadium, Pune
The 42,700-seater in the outskirts of Pune has hosted international play for over a decade, and boasts five matches at Cricket World Cup 2023, including an intriguing New Zealand v South Africa fixture on 1 November.
Crucially, the ground hosts two matches in the last week of the round robin phase, with England taking on The Netherlands and Australia taking on Bangladesh on the road to the semi-finals.
Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad
Seating almost 40,000 fans, the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium will host three matches, all within the first seven days of the tournament.
Pakistan vs Sri Lanka on 10 October could be a crucial match as both teams look back on their Cricket World Cup campaign, while the Dutch will base themselves there, playing matches against Pakistan and New Zealand.
Reserve Days
Both Cricket World Cup 2023 semi-finals will have a reserve day, as well as the tournament final.
Should they need to be taken, matches on reserve days will take place a day after their originally-scheduled match date.
Tickets
Tickets are available for a number of Cricket World Cup fixtures, with others yet to open for the general public.
Log onto tickets.cricketworldcup.com/explore/c/icc-cricket-world-cup for details.
Fixtures and live scores
For all the matches and live scores as Cricket World Cup 2023 head to www.cricketworldcup.com/fixtures.
All teams will play two warm-up matches each beginning on 29 September. For fixtures and and live scores head to www.cricketworldcup.com/fixtures/warm-ups.
Squads
All teams must finalise their 15-player squads prior to September 28, with any replacements after this date requiring approval from the ICC.
Afghanistan squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdul Rahman, Naveen ul Haq.
Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Sean Abbott, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc.
Bangladesh squad: Shakib Al Hasan (c), Litton Kumer Das, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Najmul Hossain Shanto (vc), Tawhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nasum Ahmed, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib.
England squad: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes.
India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav.
Netherlands squad: Scott Edwards (c), Max O'Dowd, Bas de Leede, Vikram Singh, Teja Nidamanuru, Paul van Meekeren, Colin Ackermann, Roelof van der Merwe, Logan van Beek, Aryan Dutt, Ryan Klein, Wesley Barresi, Saqib Zulfiqar, Shariz Ahmad, Sybrand Engelbrecht.
New Zealand squad: Kane Williamson (c), Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitch Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Will Young.
Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim.
South Africa squad: Temba Bavuma (c), Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen, Lizaad Williams.
Sri Lanka squad: Dasun Shanaka (c), Kusal Mendis (vc), Kusal Perera, Pathum Nissanka, Lahiru Kumara, Dimuth Karunaratne, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Kasun Rajitha, Matheesha Pathirana, Dilshan Madushanka, Dushan Hemantha. Travelling reserve: Chamika Karunaratne
Kits
A handful of teams have formally announced their playing kit for the tournament.
In a nod to the 1996 campaign also held in India, the Black Caps have gone with a similar kit to 27 years ago, albeit in black with grey trim and vertical stripes.
Pakistan have put a modern spin on their classic green kit, with outlines of three concentric stars signifying excellence, ambition, and the shine of cricketing achievements.
