- Pakistan Cricket Board’s request for non-Asian warm-up opponents granted by ICC.
- Exciting schedule: Warm-up matches against New Zealand and Australia.
- Tournament format: Round-robin with 45 league matches.
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Regarding the warm-up games for the 2023 World Cup in India, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has granted the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) request.
Previously, it was stated that PCB is unwilling to play an ICC World Cup warm-up match against Afghanistan.
According to reports, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) expressed a preference for playing a team from outside Asia during their warm-up match. This was because they were already scheduled to face Afghanistan in the Asia Cup before the World Cup. The PCB communicated this request to the International Cricket Council (ICC) through a written note.
Following the announcement of the tournament schedule on Tuesday, it was confirmed that Pakistan’s warm-up games would take place on September 29 and October 3 in Hyderabad, against New Zealand and Australia respectively. Consequently, Pakistan will not have the opportunity to play against any Asian team before the start of the tournament.
The first match of the tournament will begin at 10:00 am Pakistan Standard Time (PST), while the rest of the matches will be day-night fixtures starting at 01:30 pm (PST).
Eight teams have secured their spots in the event through the Cricket World Cup Super League, and the final two spots will be filled by the finalists of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier being held in Zimbabwe.
If the West Indies qualify, they will be designated as Q1 regardless of their position in the Qualifiers.
If Sri Lanka qualify, they will be designated as Q2 regardless of their position in the Qualifiers.
If Pakistan qualifies for the semifinals, their match will take place in Kolkata.
If India qualifies for the semifinals, their match will be held in Mumbai, unless they are playing against Pakistan, in which case the match will be played in Kolkata.
The tournament will follow a round-robin format, with all teams facing each other in a total of 45 league matches.
The top four teams from the league stage will advance to the semifinals, scheduled to be held in Mumbai on November 15 and in Kolkata on November 16. The semifinals and the final will have reserve days.
October 6 – vs Qualifier 1 in Hyderabad
October 12 – vs Qualifier 2 in Hyderabad
October 15 – vs India in Ahmedabad
October 20 – vs Australia in Bengaluru
October 23 – vs Afghanistan in Chennai
October 27 – vs South Africa in Chennai
October 31 – vs Bangladesh in Kolkata
November 4 – vs New Zealand Bengaluru (Day match)
November 12 – vs England in Kolkata
