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Cricket PlayersICC releases list of top 5 matches to watch out for in World Cup 2023, India and Australia feature twice
These are the ICC’s picks for matches to watch out for in World Cup 2023.
With the ODI World Cup on the horizon and preparations for it heating up, the ICC have shared their list of the 5 key matches at the tournament days after the full schedule was released. With each team playing 9 matches in the league stage, it is imperative that they do not misstep too often. The goal will be to finish in the top 4 and qualify for the semi-finals, and this list of matches could go a long way towards determining which four teams make it, and which might see their World Cup dreams crash early. These are the ICC’s picks for matches to watch out for:
India vs Pakistan - Ahmedabad - October 15
Any India vs Pakistan match is a big deal, but doubly so when it is a rare occasion of one of those two teams playing host. The pressure always seems to be on in these encounters, even early into tournaments: Pakistan’s emphatic 10-wicket win in the 2021 T20 World Cup knocked the wind out of India’s sails for that tournament. Recent ODI World Cup history has favoured India, with this year’s hosts beating their rivals in each of the last three editions, but with Babar Azam’s unit more well-oiled and threatening, both teams could depend on a psychological boost at the record-capacity Motera ground as much as the two points.
England vs New Zealand, Ahmedabad - October 5
The tournament opener is a re-match of the 2019 World Cup final, one of the most memorable trophy matches in World Cup history if not outright at the top. The Kiwis came agonizingly close, losing out on a boundary count rule which was almost immediately scrapped from the laws. Things have changed for both teams since, but the fact remains that they are high-quality white ball outfits who know starting off on the right foot at this tournament is imperative. Jos Buttler will lead the Englishmen, while New Zealand fans will hope for a swift return from Kane Williamson to bolster their leadership and middle order.
India vs Australia - Chennai - October 8
This match will be the tournament opener for the Indian team, who begin their bid at winning at home at Chepauk. In a city that loves yellow, Australia will be trying to play spoilsport, but will face an uphill task on a pitch that is sure to be slow, spin-friendly, and conducive to an Indian team which could play up to 4 spinners. However, Australia aren’t number one in the ODI rankings for no reason, and the 5-time champions’ batting is such that the likes of Mitch Marsh and Glenn Maxwell could only need 20 balls to take the game away from India. It will be a tight battle which will set the tone for each team’s tournament.
Australia vs South Africa, Lucknow - October 13
This is a World Cup about redemption for South Africa. The Proteas had a difficult time in the 2019 edition, winning only 3 out of their 9 matches and prompting wholesale changes in their approach to ODI cricket. Now captained by Temba Bavuma, their batting will have a lot of pressure on it, in what might well be a low-scoring encounter if the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow plays as it did in the IPL. Both pace attacks will have to be at their best, but this will be one to watch as Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje go head-to-head against Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc.
Bangladesh vs Afghanistan, Dharamsala - October 7
Bangladesh are quiet dark horses for a tournament which will be played in conditions that suit them: they have proven to be a difficult team to beat on surfaces which are friendly to them, and are very capable of beating the stronger teams on the right day. Their tournament opener, however, will be a match they will be expected to win, but Afghanistan themselves have enough talent and skill to force an upset in Dharamsala. Bangladesh will want to make sure they can set a platform for themselves to make a run at the playoffs over a long tournament, but Afhanistan’s story as giant-killers could begin in their very first game, especially if Rashid Khan finds some devastating form.
Other significant matches the ICC didn’t include in their low-down were contests between England and Australia in Ahmedabad on 4th November, as the two Ashes rivals will take each other on with the possibility of qualification being on the line for at least one if not both — a match that will most definitely be a tense and terrific watch. Elsewhere, England will also play India in Lucknow on 29 October in a match which could hold similar significance. The two teams played out a memorable tied match in Nagpur in the 2011 World Cup, and this could prove to be much of the same. England vs Pakistan is the penultimate match of the league stages, and fans will be hoping it comes down to that match, if for nothing but pure dramatic spectacle. India vs New Zealand in Dharamsala will be played in conditions conducive to the Kiwi seam attack, and India will want to make sure they bury their 2019 demons by overcoming the team that beat them in those semifinals early in this tournament.
