New Delhi: India will be playing defending champions England and the Netherlands in warm-up matches ahead of the Men’s ODI World Cup, the official schedule for which was released by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday.
Shortly after India’s three-match ODI series against Australia ends on September 27, Rohit Sharma’s team will take part in the two World Cup warm-up matches. India will face England at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on September 30.
After this, they will play against the Netherlands, who qualified for the ten-team competition by entering the World Cup qualifiers final in Zimbabwe, at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on October 3.
India will open their World Cup campaign against Australia at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on October 8.
The World Cup warm-up matches will be held from September 29 to October 3 across three venues in India — Guwahati, Hyderabad, and Thiruvananthapuram. Fans can buy tickets for the warm-up matches, with a start time of 2 pm, from August 25, through the Book My Show website, unveiled as the official ticketing partner for the World Cup.
Fans who are Mastercard holders are eligible to buy tickets through an exclusive 24-hour window, meaning tickets for warm-up matches will be on sale for them on August 24.
Likewise, the sale of tickets for India games and knockouts will happen a day earlier than usual for Mastercard holders, on August 29 and September 14 respectively, due to the organisation being named a commercial partner of the ICC.
As at the previous ICC Cricket World Cup events, warm-up fixtures will be 50 overs per side, but will not carry ODI status as teams will be allowed to field all members of their 15-player squad in these matches.
The Men’s ODI World Cup 2023 begins on October 5 when defending champions England face New Zealand in a re-match of the 2019 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, which will also be the venue for the final to be held on November 19.
Men’s ODI World Cup warm-up fixtures schedule
September 29
Bangladesh v Sri Lanka, Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati
South Africa v Afghanistan, Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram
New Zealand v Pakistan, Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad
September 30
India v England, Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati
Australia v Netherlands, Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram
October 2
England v Bangladesh, Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati
New Zealand v South Africa, Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram
October 3
Afghanistan v Sri Lanka, Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati
India v Netherlands, Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram
Pakistan v Australia, Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad
(IANS)
