Guwahati’s ACA Stadium at Barsapara will miss out on hosting any matches during the highly anticipated Cricket World Cup 2023, scheduled to begin on October 5 in India.
The ICC released the schedule of the marquee event on June 27 which left the cricket fans of Assam utterly disappointed.
Guwahati, however, will get to host warm-up matches. The details of it haven’t been revealed as of now.
The World Cup will primarily take place at 10 major venues across India. These include Dharamsala, New Delhi, Lucknow, Pune, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, and Kolkata.
The World Cup kicks off on October 5 with a repeat of the 2019 final as England take on New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Hosts India begins their campaign on October 8 against five-time World Cup winners Australia in Chennai.
GET YOUR CALENDARS READY! 🗓️🏆
The ICC Men's @cricketworldcup 2023 schedule is out now ⬇️#CWC23https://t.co/j62Erj3d2c
— ICC (@ICC) June 27, 2023
A total of 10 teams will participate in the showcase event, the first eight having already qualified through the Cricket World Cup Super League. The final two spots will be determined at the end of the Qualifier tournament in Zimbabwe, which concludes on July 9.
Each team plays the other nine in a round-robin format with the top four qualifying for the knockout stage and semifinals.
Apart from the cracking opening encounter and India’s face-off with 2019 semifinalists Australia, the tournament is filled with a host of crucial clashes.
Australia take on South Africa on October 13 in Lucknow hoping for a reversal of fortunes as a dramatic meeting in the last edition ended in the Proteas’ favour.
The much-anticipated India-Pakistan clash is scheduled for Sunday, October 15 in Ahmedabad. Their last encounter in the 2019 World Cup was a high-scoring affair with India achieving a huge victory in Manchester.
The first semifinal will be held on Wednesday, November 15 in Mumbai and the second semifinal will be held the following day in Kolkata. Both semifinals will have a reserve day.
The final will take place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on November 19 with November 20 slated as the reserve day.
All three knock-out fixtures will be day-night affairs, with the matches beginning at 14:00 local time.
Previously, the ACA Stadium in Guwahati successfully hosted two thrilling IPL matches featuring prominent teams such as Rajasthan Royals, Punjab Kings, and Delhi Capitals. The smooth organization of these matches had raised hopes of securing a World Cup fixture for the city. Moreover, Guwahati has a track record of successfully hosting several international matches, showcasing its capacity as a cricketing venue.
The reasons behind Guwahati’s exclusion from the list of World Cup host cities have not been disclosed thus far. Local cricket enthusiasts and fans, who were eagerly anticipating the cricketing extravaganza in their city, expressed their disappointment upon hearing the news.
