New Delhi: The much-awaited ICC Men’s World Cup is around the corner and as per the reports the tournament is set to begin on October 5 with last time’s finalists England and New Zealand facing each other. According to a report by Cricbuzz, the highly anticipated clash between India and Pakistan will be played on October 15 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Cricbuzz cited some reliable sources and confirmed that India will face Australia to begin their campaign at Chepauk.
Reportedly, PCB has agreed to play in India amid all the discussions of shifting the Asia Cup to a neutral venue after BCCI refused the Indian team to play in Pakistan. While Asia Cup is likely to go for a hybrid hosting model, the World Cup will be hosted by India amid all the political tensions between the neighbouring countries.
Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Hyderabad, Delhi, Bengaluru, Indore, Dharamsala, Rajkot, Guwahati, Raipur, and Mumbai are the likely venues for the tournament. Ahmedabad will host the finals while Wankhede Stadium of Mumbai, where India won the 2011 World Cup, is set to host one of the semi-final games. The finals will take place at the Narendra Modi Stadium on November 19.
BCCI has not released the official schedule yet and is likely to do so after the IPL.
While India qualified for the World Cup as hosts, England, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh have qualified via Super League points. South Africa was the latest entry into the direct qualifiers after the ODI between Bangladesh and Ireland was abandoned.
The last two spots in the World Cup will be decided by a qualification tournament played among West Indies, Sri Lanka, the Netherlands, Nepal, Ireland, Oman, Scotland, UAE, and Zimbabwe. The qualifiers will take place in Zimbabwe in June and July.
