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Final schedule for the 2023 ODI World Cup was released with less than two months to go, with India-Pakistan clash preponed to October 14.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed the change in the upcoming ODI World Cup schedule with nine matches getting their dates or start times changed. The biggest box office clash between India and Pakistan in Ahmedabad will now be played on October 14, a day earlier than the originally announced date. The changes come with less than two months to go for the mega event.
Updated fixtures have been revealed for #CWC23 👀
Details 👉 https://t.co/P8w6jZmVk5 pic.twitter.com/u5PIJuEvDl
— ICC (@ICC) August 9, 2023
The change in the India-Pakistan game has had an impact on eight other matches with Pakistan, England and Bangladesh being the most affected. Pakistan have had three of their matches rescheduled while Bangladesh and England have had two changes each. The clash between Bangladesh and England, which was originally planned as a day-night fixture on October 10, has also been converted to a day game.
There were reports that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) wanted to change the date of India-Pakistan game due to its clash with the first day of a nine-day Hindu festival Navratri. Reports stated that the Ahmedabad police had raised concerns over providing security on October 15. The BCCI secretary Jay Shah, however, squashed those rumours on July 27.
“If security was an issue then why would the match go there – 14-15 is not the problem. Two or three boards have written in, asking to change based on the logistical challenges. There are some matches where there is only a two-day gap, so it will be difficult to play and then travel the next day,” said Shah.
With Pakistan set to play on October 14, their match against Sri Lanka in Hyderabad has been shifted to October 10 from October 12. This will allow them an adequate time to travel and prepare for the match against India.
Australia and South Africa were originally scheduled to face off in Lucknow on October 13 but that contest has been moved forward to October 12. England and Afghanistan will now meet in Delhi on October 15 instead of the previous date October 14. The New Zealand-Bangladesh game in Chennai was a day game on October 14 earlier but has been changed to a day-night fixture on October 13.
In another development, Kolkata police had raised concerns to the Cricket Association of Bengal about hosting a match on the same day as the Hindu festival of Kali Puja on November 12. As a result, the double-header – Australia-Bangladesh in Pune and England-Pakistan in Kolkata – that was supposed to happen on that day has been moved to November 11.
The league stage will now end with India’s match against Netherlands taking place in Bengaluru on November 12, a day later than earlier planned.
The World Cup will kick off on October 5 with defending champions England facing New Zealand in Ahmedabad. Mumbai and Kolkata will be hosting the semi-finals on November 15 and 16 respectively, with the final taking place in Ahmedabad on November 18. The tickets for the tournament will go on sale from August 25.
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