Tag: World Cup 2023

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

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

The Black Caps will be led by Kane Williamson, as announced last week despite still recovering from a serious knee injury. However, he is in a race to be fit in time to participate in New Zealand’s opening match.

The star batter has been sidelined since April after surgery to repair torn ligaments in his right knee suffered while playing for Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League.

Wicketkeeper batter Tom Latham, who is currently leading New Zealand, will serve as Williamson’s deputy. He holds the record for the joint most dismissals (21) by a wicketkeeper in a single edition of the World Cup.

Pace bowlers Tim Southee and Kane Williamson will be playing their fourth ODI World Cup, having featured in 2011, 2015 and 2019 editions.

Our 15 for the @cricketworldcup in India! More | https://t.co/D2jqxQxWeE #BACKTHEBLACKCAPS pic.twitter.com/wIlzA5N3qU

— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) September 10, 2023

BLACKCAPS coach Gary Stead said it was an exciting day for all involved whether it was your first or fourth tournament.

“It’s always a special time to name a tournament team and I’d like to congratulate the 15 players selected today. It’s a great honour to represent your country at a World Cup.

“From Kane [Williamson] and Tim [Southee] heading to their fourth tournament to the guys selected for the first time, it’s always a very exciting time.”

The New Zealand squad features six players making their World Cup debut in India.

“As with any squad named for an ICC tournament, there have been some tough calls and there will be some disappointed players,” Stead said. “The key for us was finding the right balance for the squad and making sure we had our bases covered for what is going to be a very competitive tournament.”

New Zealand is set to play defending champions England in the World Cup opener on October 5 at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

New Zealand World Cup 2023 squad

Kane Williamson (c), Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Will Young

READ: Sarfaraz Ahmed achieves major landmark in First Class cricket

Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh has predicted Pakistan and Australia as the finalists of the upcoming ICC Men’s World Cup in India.

Marsh recently appeared in a YouTube podcast, co-hosted by Adam Gilchrist and Michael Vaughan, and was asked to predict the finalists of this year’s World Cup, excluding Australia.

“Who is going to win it? India, Pakistan or England?” asked Vaughan.

The all-rounder, however, displayed confidence in his side’s abilities and insisted that Australia would indeed make it to the final of the mega event and would face Pakistan.

“I honestly think that it will be Australia v Pakistan in the final,” Mitchell Marsh replied.

 

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Pakistan is currently the top-ranked ODI side in the world, followed by Australia. The two former champions are also among the favourites for this year’s World Cup.

Pakistan and Australia will come face to face on October 20 in the group stage of the World Cup.

The two sides will also lock horns in the warm-up match, scheduled for October 3.

The ICC Men’s World Cup 2023 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.

The tournament will be played in ten different venues – Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Dharamsala, Delhi, Chennai, Lucknow, Pune, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Kolkata.

Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram in addition to Hyderabad will host the warm-up matches from 29 September to 3 October.

Australia squad for the ICC Men’s World Cup: Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc.

READ: Asia Cup 2023: Babar Azam believes Pakistan has an ‘edge’ over India

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Friday announced 16 umpires and four match referees, including Pakistan’s Ahsan Raza for the league stage of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India.

The list comprises 12 umpires from the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires, including Ahsan Raza.

The other umpires include Chris Brown, Kumar Dharmasena, Marais Erasmus, Chris Gaffaney, Michael Gough, Adrian Holdstock, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Nitin Menon, Paul Reiffel, Sharfuddoula Ibne Shaid, Rod Tucker, Alex Wharf, Joel Wilson and Paul Wilson.

This experienced group features three umpires who officiated in the Cricket World Cup 2019 final. This includes Dharmasena, Erasmus and Tucker.

Meanwhile, the remaining four umpires belong to the ICC Emerging Umpire Panel, including Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid (Bangladesh), Paul Wilson (Australia), Alex Wharf (England) and Chris Brown (New Zealand).

On the other hand, the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees for the event are Jeff Crowe (New Zealand), Andy Pycroft (Zimbabwe), Richie Richardson (West Indies) and Javagal Srinath (India).

The tournament opener between England and New Zealand on October 5 will have Nitin Menon and Kumar Dharmasena as on-field umpires, with Paul Wilson serving as the TV umpire, and Sharfuddoula as the fourth umpire. Andy Pycroft will act as the match referee. The officials for the semi-finals and final will be announced later in the tournament.

“We are pleased to announce the match officials who will be officiating at the biggest ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup ever,” Sean Easey, ICC Senior Manager – Umpires and Referees said. “This group is the very best from around the world and we believe that they are ready to perform what will be a challenging job with the eyes of the global cricketing community focussed on every decision.

“We are confident that they will do an excellent job and wish them all the best of luck for what will surely be a World Cup to remember.”

Wasim Khan, ICC General Manager – Cricket, believed that they would bring skill, experience and world-class standards to the World Cup 2023.

“To deliver an event of this magnitude you require high-performing individuals at every level. The ICC Elite panel of umpires, referees, and emerging group of umpires involved will bring immense skills, experience and world-class standards to this World Cup. We are delighted with the group that we have assembled for this tournament,” Wasim Khan said.

He was also pleased at the presence of ICC Emerging Panel members in the event.

“The ICC Cricket Operations department takes great pride and effort in operating a robust and meritocratic selection procedure with the help of our Member Boards. Our competitive pathway system continues to see the development and emergence of high-quality match officials across the game,” he added.

“We are pleased that four members of the ICC Emerging Umpire Panel have earned the opportunity to be part of this showcase event and we wish them, and all the other match officials involved all the very best for the tournament,” he concluded.

The ICC Men’s World Cup 2023 will commence on Thursday, 5 October with the aforementioned clash between 2019 finalists England and New Zealand at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, while the final will be played at the same venue on Sunday, 19 November.

The tournament will be played in ten different venues – Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Dharamsala, Delhi, Chennai, Lucknow, Pune, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Kolkata.

Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram in addition to Hyderabad will host the warm-up matches from 29 September to 3 October.

READ: Conway, Mitchell tons power New Zealand to thump England in ODI opener

The Netherlands Cricket announced a 15-member squad on Thursday for the forthcoming ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023, which will be played in India from October 5 to November 19.

Netherlands has recalled experienced duo Roelof van der Merwe and Colin Ackermann for their World Cup campaign after the veterans missed out on the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier tournament, where the Netherlands booked their slot for the World Cup.

27-year-old wicket-keeper batter Scott Edwards will lead the team in their return to the ODI World Cup after they failed to qualify for the 2015 and 2019 events.

The 15 men who will represent The Netherlands in the #CWC23 starting next month.

Wicketkeeper Batter Noah Croes and Fast Bowler Kyle Klein will be the two travelling reserves in the squad.

🇮🇳, here we come! 💪 pic.twitter.com/bTXvVzdZPM

— Cricket🏏Netherlands (@KNCBcricket) September 7, 2023

The Netherlands have previously participated in four ODI World Cups, making their debut in the 1996 edition, but failed to qualify for the 1999 edition. They then played in three consecutive World Cups in 2003, 2007 and 2011.

Netherlands will play warm-up matches against Australia on September 30 and India on October 3 before kicking off their World Cup 2023 campaign against Pakistan on October 6 at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad.

Netherlands World Cup 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.

Traveling Reserve: Noah Croes, Kyle Klein

READ: Record-breaking Ronaldo ‘wants more’ with Portugal

England white-ball coach Matthew Mott has suggested rising star Harry Brook could yet feature at the World Cup 2023, saying the defending champions’ final squad is “still open for debate”.

Harry Brook was omitted when England announced their preliminary 15-man squad for the 50-over tournament in India which starts next month.

But teams do not have to confirm their squads until September 28.

The 24-year-old Harry Brook was initially edged out by 2019 World Cup final hero Ben Stokes’s decision to reverse his retirement from one-day internationals.

But a hundred for Northern Superchargers in his next innings in The Hundred, followed by contributions of 43 not out and 67 in T20 international wins against New Zealand reignited the debate about Harry Brook’s World Cup place.

Dawid Malan appears to be the specialist batsman most likely to make way, although England could leave out all-rounder Liam Livingstone or drop a seam bowler to accommodate Brook.

“He is one of a number of players who has an opportunity to put their hand up,” Mott told the BBC.

“What I would say about Harry is that what you want to see from players when they miss out on a squad, is you want them to come out and slam that door down.

“And I thought at the start of this series, and with his hundred in the Hundred, he made a real statement…

“It is still open for debate and there will be plenty of good cricket played in the next month so we’ll see what that squad ends up looking like…

“It’s just an incredibly hard side to select and to squeeze 15 players into it.”

Mott was speaking following England’s six-wicket defeat by New Zealand in the fourth T20I at Trent Bridge, where the tourists reached a target of 176 to draw the series 2-2.

England next face New Zealand in four ODIs, starting in Cardiff on Friday.

Harry Brook is not in the squad for that series, but will likely feature in a three-match ODI series against Ireland, which would represent his last chance to impress before England fly to India.

“He may be in that Ireland squad so you can read into that,” Mott said. “It’s the media’s job to create speculation and it’s our job to put a lid on it and I think we are doing that. The players are coping with it really well.”

READ: Haris Rauf becomes joint-third fastest to 50 ODI wickets for Pakistan

Cricket Australia (CA) on Wednesday, named a 15-member provisional squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023 in India, commencing on October 5.

Pat Cummins will lead the side, however, he is currently recovering from a fractured wrist and is in a race to be fit in time for the World Cup, along with Mitchell Starc, Glenn Maxwell and Steve Smith.

Steve Smith is also battling a wrist injury, sustained during the Ashes, while Mitchell Starc has been dealing with groin soreness since returning from the Ashes.

Meanwhile, allrounder Glenn Maxwell was ruled out of the South Africa tour due to soreness in his ankle stemming from his previously broken leg.

Presenting your 15-player men’s provisional squad for the 2023 World Cup!

The final 15-player squad will be confirmed later this month 🇦🇺 #CWC23 pic.twitter.com/wO0gBbadKi

— Cricket Australia (@CricketAus) September 6, 2023

However, Australia’s national selection panel chairman George Bailey is hopeful that the quartet will regain full fitness prior to the World Cup.

“All are well placed to come back online in the coming weeks and potentially for selection in the upcoming series against India,” George Bailey said.

“There are eight one-day matches still to play in South Africa and India before the final squad is due to be declared. They are followed by two World Cup practice games, which offers plenty of opportunity to continue the build for the tournament.”

Australia’s final 15-member squad is expected to be confirmed to the ICC by September 28, after the conclusion of a three-match ODI series in India.

Australia will kick off their World Cup campaign against India on October 8 in Chennai.

Australia World Cup squad

Pat Cummins (c), Steven Smith, David Warner, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Alex Carey, Marcus Stoinis, Cameron Green, Ashton Agar, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa, Sean Abbott

READ: Kane Williamson set to captain New Zealand at ODI World Cup 2023

South Africa’s opening batter and wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock has announced to retire from ODI cricket after the conclusion of the upcoming ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023 in India.

The news was confirmed by Cricket South Africa through a post on the social media platform ‘X’ (formerly known as Twitter).

🟡ANNOUNCEMENT 🟢

Quinton de Kock has announced his retirement from ODI cricket following the conclusion of the ICC @cricketworldcup in India 🏆 🏏

What's your favourite Quinny moment throughout the years ? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/oyR6yV5YFZ

— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) September 5, 2023

The announcement came minutes after Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced a 15-member World Cup 2023 squad, featuring Quinton de Kock.

The 30-year-old wicketkeeper has represented South Africa in 140 ODI matches since his debut in 2013 against New Zealand. He accumulated 5966 runs in the format at an average of 44.85 and a strike rate of 96.08. He has 17 hundreds and 29 fifties to his name with a high score of 178 that came against Australia at Centurion in 2016.

He also led South Africa in eight ODIs, out of which they won four and lost three.

Quinton de Kock participated in two ODI World Cups in 2015 and 2019, scoring 450 runs in 17 outings at an average of 30 with the help of four half-centuries.

Commenting on De Kock’s decision to retire from ODIs, Director of Cricket Enoch Nkwe said: “Quinton de Kock has been a really good servant to South African cricket. He set the benchmark with his attacking batting style and was a key member of the squad for a number of years.

“He also wore the captain’s armband and that is an honour that very few people get to hold.

“We understand his decision to step back from ODI cricket and we want to thank him for his service over the years. We wish him well for the future but still look forward to seeing him represent the Proteas in T20I cricket.”

South Africa will kick off their World Cup 2023 campaign against Sri Lanka on 7 October at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.

South Africa World Cup squad

Temba Bavuma (c), Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Sisanda Magala, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der dussen

READ: India announce squad for ICC ODI World Cup 2023