Tag: ICC World Cup 2023

DUBAI: With the Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 just around the corner, the International Cricket Council (ICC) dropped the first look of the official anthem on Tuesday.

According to the initial details shared by the ICC, the official anthem for this year’s Men’s World Cup, titled Dil Jashan Bole, will feature Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh and will be released tomorrow at 12:30 PM (PST).

The greatest cricketing Jashn is almost here, 12pm IST tomorrow! #CWC23 👀 pic.twitter.com/vqAURnVWlV

— ICC (@ICC) September 19, 2023

 

The anthem is composed by renowned Indian composer and musician Pritam Chakraborty.

In July this year, the ICC spiced up the hype for the upcoming Men’s World Cup by releasing a promo video for the mega event featuring superstar Shah Rukh Khan.

To hype the Men’s World Cup, the cricketing governing body produced a promotional video for their forthcoming extravaganza and called one of India’s most famous stars Khan to be the face of their advertising.

The remarkable 2-minute long video, centred on the tournament’s ethos and tagline — ‘All it takes is one day’, is narrated by Shah Rukh Khan.

“The difference between making history and being history: one day. Jerseys will be worn, and chests will swell with pride, on that one day. Passion will triumph logic, and memories will be etched, on that one day. Fears will be conquered, and odds will be braved, on that one day. From the highs of joy, to the lows of anguish, it will all be embraced, on that one day,” narrates Khan.

“Rivalries will be redefined on the pitch, and respect reimagined in the stands. The power of belief will emerge from the hearts of a billion. Songs will be sung, dances will be danced, and eyes will widen in wonder, on that one day. And when that day comes, and when that day finally comes, glory will be immortalized,” continued Khan.

“This is the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, for everything ever dreamt for, pushed for, lived for, it takes one day,” concludes the movie star in the video.

A total of 10 teams will participate in the ICC Men’s World Cup – featuring 45 matches – and compete for the prestigious silverware across 10 venues from October 5 to November 19.

Like the previous edition, the ICC Men’s World Cup 2023 will also be played in a round-robin format – each team playing nine matches with the rest of the opponents.

The top four teams by the end of the group stage will qualify for the semi-finals, scheduled to be held in Mumbai on November 15 and in Kolkata on November 16.

Whereas, the final of the tournament will take place on November 19 at the grand Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Notably, all three knockout matches of the ICC Men’s World Cup will have a reserve day.

READ: Pak-New Zealand World Cup warm-up fixture to be played behind closed doors

The warm-up fixture of the ICC Men’s World Cup 2023 between Pakistan and New Zealand will be played without spectators, Indian media reported Tuesday.

According to the Indian media, the Hyderabad city police expressed concerns regarding their inability to provide adequate security for the match, scheduled for September 29, which consequently led to the decision to hold the warm-up fixture without the spectators.

Notably, the Ganesh Visarjan and Milad-un-Nabi festivals, which are expected to draw sizable crowds and necessitate a significant police presence, coincide with the date of the warm-up game between Pakistan and New Zealand.

“The processions will go on late into the night and the local police would not be able to provide adequate security for a match of this scale,” a BCCI official said. “There will continue to be full security for both the teams during their stay and transit to the stadium.”

Consequently, the tickets for spectators will be refunded by the Board for Cricket Control in India (BCCI), in coordination with the hosting association and ticketing partners.

Last month, the highly-anticipated India-Pakistan fixture at this year’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup was rescheduled to October 14, while details of eight other matches had also been changed.

The high-octane clash India-Pakistan World Cup fixture was originally slated to take place on October 15 but the date coincided with the beginning of the Navratri, a festival celebrated with mass participation across Gujarat.

Consequently, the law-enforcement agencies advised the Board of Control for Cricket in India to make a tweak.

As a result, England’s fixture against Afghanistan in Delhi will be moved from Saturday, 14 October and will now be played 24 hours later on Sunday, 15 October.

Pakistan’s contest against Sri Lanka in Hyderabad has moved from Thursday, 12 October to now being played on Tuesday, 10 October and Australia’s big match against South Africa in Lucknow moved back 24 hours and will now be played on Thursday, 12 October instead of Friday, 13 October.

Similarly, New Zealand’s game against Bangladesh originally scheduled as a day match for 14 October in Chennai has been moved back and will now be held on Friday, 13 October and be played as a day-night contest.

From the initial phase of the tournament, a minor change to the fixture refers to the timing of England’s match-up against Bangladesh in Dharamsala, with the clash becoming a day match and a 10:30AM (local time) start after it was originally scheduled as a day-night fixture.

Towards the end of the league stage, there are three changes with the double-header encounters of Sunday, 12 November being moved a day earlier to Saturday, 11 November – Australia vs Bangladesh in Pune (10:30AM) and England vs Pakistan in Kolkata (02:00PM).

Meanwhile, India’s last league game against the Netherlands has now been shifted from 11 to 12 November, a day-night clash to be played in Bengaluru.

The World Cup commences on Thursday, 5 October when 2019 finalists England and New Zealand clash at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, with the event culminating in the final at the same venue on Sunday, 19 November.

READ: Pakistan women’s team kicks off training for Asian Games 2023

Former captain Misbah-ul-Haq backed the Pakistan team ahead of the upcoming ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023 following their early exit from the Asia Cup 2023.

Misbah-ul-Haq, while talking to the media during the trophy unveiling ceremony of the Over 40s Cricket Global Cup in Karachi defended Pakistan captain Babar Azam despite a 228-run loss against arch-rivals India.

“The captain is not the only one responsible for a 228-run defeat, the whole team is responsible,” Misbah said. “The team’s confidence has definitely been damaged, however, the Pakistan team has always bounced back from difficult situations.”

He further showed his faith in the current Pakistan team going into the World Cup 2023 in India.

“Mistakes have been made in the Asia Cup, we have to improve our performance. These players have performed well in the past, and I am hopeful that they will do better in the World Cup,” he added.

“Our spin bowlers have failed to perform at their best, however, the selection committee can tell about any upcoming changes in the team for the World Cup,” said Misbah-ul-Haq.

He also stated the fact that Indian conditions are different from Sri Lanka, and will support Pakistani batters.

“The World Cup is a different event and the conditions will be tough, however, India’s conditions will support Pakistani batters,” he added.

Pakistan, who entered the Asia Cup 2023 as a top-ranked ODI side, however, failed to live up to the label of being the favourites as they crashed out of the tournament after finishing fourth in the Super 4s stage.

Pakistan will kick off their World Cup 2023 campaign against the Netherlands on October 6 at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad.

READ: Pakistan reclaim top rank in ODIs after South Africa crush Australia

Sri Lanka’s crushing 10-wicket loss to India in the recently concluded ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2023 final should help the team learn lessons for the ODI World Cup, coach Chris Silverwood said Sunday.

The home team were bowled out for just 50 in 15.2 overs with Indian fast bowler Mohammed Siraj ripping through the Sri Lankan batting with his 6-21 in Colombo.

Sri Lanka were playing their 11th Asia Cup final but the 116-minute humiliation left the fans disappointed and coach Silverwood said he hoped it would be a blessing in disguise.

“Sometimes a bit of a kick up the rear end is not the worst thing going into a World Cup,” Silverwood told reporters.

“Maybe this is just a wake-up call, that for us to compete against teams like India, Australia, and New Zealand  – those types of guys – we have to be on top of our game.

He said, “Maybe there’s something we can use out of this that can motivate us heading into that World Cup.”

Sri Lanka, who have made the ODI World Cup starting October 5 in India after playing the qualifiers, went in as underdogs in the Asia Cup 2023.

But what unfolded in the Asia Cup final was unexpected as Dasun Shanaka’s Sri Lanka fell like a pack of cards after they elected to bat first.

“Clearly it was a bad day in the office. Clearly, we came up against a very high-class bowling unit,” said Silverwood.

“It was a shame to finish the way we did. It’s one of those things we can’t dwell on too much because we’ve got a big tournament coming up. There are lessons to learn and questions to be asked in the dressing room.”

Sri Lanka overcame an inconsistent showing at the start of the Asia Cup and sneaked into the Super Fours with a dramatic win over Afghanistan.

Fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana and left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage stood out for Sri Lanka with 21 wickets between them and Silverwood counted them as positives from the tournament.

“We played some very good cricket to get to the final. We had to fight very hard. For me it was an achievement,” said Silverwood.

“But if we take today out of the equation, we’ve seen two youngsters put their hands up, in Dunith Wellalage, and Matheesha Pathirana. We’ve seen two of them really put up their hands on the world stage.”

He added, “Sadeera (Samarawickrama) played some good knocks. (Kusal) Mendis has come back into form. But clearly consistency is something we need to bring into the game.”

Notably, Sri Lanka’s 50-run total is now the lowest total in the Asia Cup history, breaking the previous record held by Bangladesh, who were dismissed for 87 runs against Pakistan in 2000.

Furthermore, Sri Lanka’s 50-run total is the lowest in men’s ODI history in a tournament final. It is also the third time this year that Sri Lanka have been bowled out for less than a hundred in ODIs.

Sri Lanka will start their World Cup campaign against South Africa in Delhi on October 7.

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LONDON: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Sunday, confirmed their 15-member squad for the ICC Men’s World Cup 2023 in India, marking the return of Harry Brook.

Brook, who was initially left out of England’s provisional squad for the World Cup, as a result of Ben Stokes’ return, managed to make a cut in the defending champions’ final contingent.

Notably, Jason Roy missed the four-match ODI series against New Zealand due to back spasms and consequently paved the way for Brook’s return.

Opening batter Dawid Malan also secured his berth for the World Cup after scoring the most runs (277) in the series against New Zealand.

Meanwhile, Ben Stokes also solidified his position in the team after his brilliant comeback to ODI cricket in the recently concluded series. He broke the record for the highest score by an England men’s player in ODIs, as he scored 182 off 124 balls in the third ODI against New Zealand.

Our @CricketWorldCup 1⃣5⃣ 😍

Are we excited yet?! 😆#CWC23 | #EnglandCricket pic.twitter.com/u5FOly7rAk

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) September 17, 2023

Leg spinner Adil Rashid also made it to the World Cup 2023 squad after being declared fit. He featured in only one game in the New Zealand series in which he experienced cramps and subsequently did not play the remaining matches of the series.

England Men’s National Selector, Luke Wright, said: “We have selected a squad we are confident can go to India and win the World Cup.

“We are blessed with an incredibly strong group of white-ball players which was underlined by the performances in the series win against a very good New Zealand team.

“The strength of the group has meant that we have had to make some tough decisions on world-class players with Jason Roy missing out and Harry Brook coming into the squad.”

Notably, teams can still make changes to their squads until September 28 without requiring ICC’s approval.

After the cut-off date, any changes to the squad will be subject to the approval of the ICC.

Defending champions England South Africa will kick off their World Cup 2023 campaign against runners-up of World Cup 2019 New Zealand in the opening game of the tournament on October 5 at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

England’s squad for the World Cup 2023

Jos Buttler (captain), 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.

READ: India crush Sri Lanka to win Asia Cup 2023

Pakistan’s right-arm pacer Naseem Shah could miss the entirety of this year’s ICC Men’s World Cup in India due to a shoulder injury, ESPN Cricinfo reported Saturday.

According to the report, Naseem sustained a much worse injury to his right shoulder than it was suspected by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

The severity of the injury is such that the young lanky pacer may get ruled out of the World Cup as well as the Australia tour and the ninth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

“Pakistan fast bowler Naseem Shah is likely to miss the entire World Cup after scans revealed an injury to his right shoulder that is worse than was initially suspected,” the report stated.

“The PCB is understood to be seeking a second opinion, but scans from tests in Dubai appear to show the injury could rule him out for the rest of year.

“Should secondary results back up the initial ones, Naseem, 20, is looking at a layoff spanning several months which means his participation in the Test series in Australia at the turn of the year is in doubt, as well as the next Pakistan Super League also in grave doubt.”

Notably, Naseem Shah walked off the field, leaving the 46th over of India’s innings midway on the reserve day organized for the much-anticipated Pakistan-India clash.

Briefly, after Pakistan’s 228-run defeat against arch-rivals India, the PCB called up Zaman Khan and Shahnawaz Dahani as backup pacers for the rest of the tournament, as a precautionary measure to provide a cover for injured Naseem and Haris Rauf.

Later, the PCB confirmed that Naseem Shah has been ruled out of the Asia Cup 2023 and Zaman was added to the Pakistan squad.

It is worth mentioning here that the PCB will make a final decision regarding Naseem Shah’s availability for the ICC Men’s World Cup 2023 once they receive results from Shah’s secondary scans in the coming days.

READ: Adam Zampa equals worst bowling figures in ODIs

Pakistan captain Babar Azam said on Friday that injured pace bowlers Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah remained central to his team’s ICC ODI World Cup 2023 plans after their absence saw the team crash out of the Asia Cup.

Babar Azam’s men went down to fellow co-hosts Sri Lanka by two wickets Thursday in a last-ball thriller of a rain-shortened Super Four knockout game in Colombo.

Both Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf were injured in the Super Four loss to India in the 50-over tournament, a tune-up for the ODI World Cup in India starting next month.

“Haris Rauf is not bad, he has a little bit side strain but will recover before the World Cup,” said Azam.

“Naseem Shah has missed a couple of matches but I don’t know about his recovery. But in my opinion he will be in the World Cup.”

The pace duo’s absence was felt when Pakistan failed to defend 252 in their 42-over-a-side match against Sri Lanka.

Charith Asalanka steered his side home in that game, hitting a four and a double off the last two balls, bowled by debutant Zaman Khan.

“Definitely when you lose your best bowlers, that costs you and your team,” Azam said after the match.

“We were not short of effort but didn’t finish well.”

Zaman, a fast bowler who made an impression in the Pakistan Super League, needed to defend eight runs and bowled the first four for just two, including a wicket.

But the left-handed Asalanka, who made 49, had the home crowd rejoicing with his winning strike to take Sri Lanka, who won the last edition of the tournament, into their 11th Asia Cup final.

Azam said the team would learn from their mistakes to put on a better show in India next month, where they will meet the hosts in a hotly anticipated October 14 clash in Ahmedabad.

“In fielding we lacked the kind of response that we should have got. In the bowling, there is an issue in the middle overs,” said Azam.

“We will try to learn from them and will clear them before going into the World Cup.”

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Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) announced a 15-member squad on Wednesday for the upcoming ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023, which will be played in India from October 5 to November 19.

Pace bowler Naveen-ul-Haq has been recalled for the mega-event after a two-year hiatus from ODI cricket. He has played only seven ODIs since making his debut in 2016, taking 14 wickets at an average of 25.42.

Pace bowler Mohammad Saleem Safi, along with all-rounder Karim Janat who was called up for Asia Cup 2023 after a six-year gap from ODI cricket has been dropped from the squad, while Gulbadin Naib, despite a good showing in the Asia Cup 2023 has been selected as a reserve player only.

Naib is joined by Sharafuddin Ashraf and Fareed Ahmad as reserve players in the World Cup.

World Cup Bound AfghanAtalan Squad 🚨

Presenting before you the AfghanAtalan squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in India. 🤩#AfghanAtalan | #CWC23 | #WarzaMaidanGata pic.twitter.com/r0SGg3KV8v

— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) September 13, 2023

All-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai also returned to the Afghanistan squad after suffering a side strain during the ODI series against Pakistan.

The rest of the squad is unchanged from the Asia Cup 2023 squad, led by Hashmatullah Shahid.

Afghanistan will kick off their World 2023 against Bangladesh on October 7 in Dharamsala. Prior to that, they will play two warm-up matches against South Africa and Sri Lanka on September 29 and October 3 respectively.

Afghanistan World Cup 2023 squad

Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Rahmat Shah, Riaz Hassan, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Abdul Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-Ul-Haq

Reserves: Gulbadin Naib, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Fareed Ahmad

READ: Naseem Shah ruled out of Asia Cup 2023

Pakistan’s heavy defeat to India in the ongoing Asia Cup 2023 was a “timely reminder” for the team to get their act together before next month’s ODI World Cup 2023 in India, head coach Grant Bradburn said.

Babar Azam’s men suffered a crushing 228-run loss to India on Monday in a rain-hit Super Four clash of the 50-over tournament, a prelude to next month’s World Cup in India.

India posted 356-2 in Colombo after rain forced the match into a reserve day and then bowled out Pakistan for 128 in 32 overs to register their biggest ODI victory over their arch-rivals.

“My gut feeling is that we are grateful for the gift that has been this last two days,” Bradburn told reporters after the drubbing.

“We don’t get to play some of the best players in the world very often,” he added.

“We haven’t lost a game of cricket for the last three months, so it’s a timely reminder that we need to turn up every day, put in our best on the park, and it’s actually a gift in the last two days we haven’t done that.”

Pakistan elected to bowl after Azam won the toss but the team soon lost their grip after a 121-run opening stand between skipper Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill.

Virat Kohli and KL Rahul hit 122 and 111 respectively to extend India’s domination in an unbeaten stand of 233.

“We lost at all facets of the game,” Bradburn said. “No excuses, we weren’t good enough in the last two days.”

Pakistan’s bowling, led by Shaheen Shah Afridi, had rattled India’s top order last week in an Asia Cup group game, bowling them out for 266 before the match was abandoned because of rain.

But Rohit, Gill, Rahul and Kohli came roaring back in the Super Four contest to take the attack to the bowlers.

Bradburn, a former New Zealand international who played seven Tests and 11 ODIs, said Pakistan will learn from the batting assault.

“Certainly wasn’t a surprise. Everyone’s seen how lethal our bowling attack is and good teams will counteract that,” he said.

Azam started the tournament with 151 against minnows Nepal but Bradburn said Pakistan’s batting still lacked firepower.

“Our batting unit hasn’t clicked in the past month and again, that is a positive sign,” he said.

“We have full trust in them. We are very consistent with our selection. We know they will come right.”

Pakistan will face Sri Lanka in their final Super 4 stage match of the Asia Cup 2023 on Thursday.

READ: Shahid Afridi named in Pakistan Squad for Over 40s Cricket Global Cup

Reece Topley is taking nothing for granted regarding his involvement in the defence of England’s World Cup title in India following an injury-blighted career.

The 29-year-old left-arm quick has suffered four separate stress fractures in his back.

But having overcome those injuries, he seemed all set to feature in last year’s Twenty20 World Cup in Australia only to be ruled out by a freak trip over a boundary cushion ahead of England’s final warm-up match.

The ensuing ankle ligament damage meant he was reduced to the role of a long-distance spectator as England added the T20 global title to their 50-over crown.

Having regained fitness, the 6ft 7in (2.01 metres) paceman dislocated his shoulder at the Indian Premier League in April.

And with the start of the 50-over World Cup in India now less than a month away, Topley admitted: “You could say I have a bit of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) about getting on the plane again because it was pretty emotional coming back from the last (World Cup) injured.

“But injuries happen in sport. You can only do so much to prevent them. I don’t really think about it too much. It’s just the nature of it: you get good days and bad days at the minute.

“As you get older, the injuries do get a bit harder to come back from — just the nature of just being years older. It’s not like you won’t ever come back from it, it’s just always a bit trickier.”

Reece Topley has been included in England’s provisional World Cup squad following a fine home season last year.

But having gone wicketless in four one-day internationals, he starred with 3-27 in the 2nd ODI against New Zealand at Southampton on Sunday as England levelled the four-match series at 1-1 with a 79-run win in a rain-affected match.

Topley, who took 13 wickets in seven ODIs in the last English season at an impressive average of 16.38, said: “I’ve got to thank the guys for showing that what I did last year didn’t go unnoticed.

“My record in the format is pretty good. I like to think that I can contribute whenever needed. It’s nice to be finding my feet again, hopefully just at the right time for India,” he added ahead of Wednesday’s third ODI against New Zealand at The Oval.

England, however, have several seam-bowling options to call upon, with two other left-arm quicks in Sam Curran and David Willey among those vying for a place with Reece Topley in England’s final 15-strong squad for the World Cup.

“I can only do so much as a new-ball and death bowler that it’s hard to leave me out,” said Topley, the son of former Essex seamer Don Topley.

“That’s what all of us in the changing room want to do is just to make those decisions tough, but with the talent that we have, it’s always going be a tough decision — for the 15, or the 11.”

READ: All-round India humble Pakistan in Asia Cup 2023 Super 4s clash