This year, India, considered by many the home of cricket, will host the ICC World Cup 2023. The tournament will take place in October and November, with the final being held on 26 November.
The World Cup is the premier one-day event in cricket and is held at four-year intervals, It’s one of the most watched sporting events on the planet. England was the first country to host this international championship, which it did in 1975. The West Indies won the event, beating Australia by 17 runs to do so. Below is a look at the Cricket World Cup, including some of its history and most memorable events, and a preview of the upcoming tournament.
A little event history
The first Cricket World Cup consisted of a series of one-day matches of 60 overs per side. When organisers began to allow the tournament to be hosted outside of England, the number of overs was reduced to 50 per side. In 1987, India and Pakistan became the first countries outside of England to host the championship. That tournament would see Australia beat England by seven runs. Twenty years later, in 2007, Australian would become the first country to win three consecutive Cricket World Cup tournaments.
The Australians performed an impressive feat that year, but the Cricket World Cup has witnessed some other memorable moments. Here are some of the most outstanding ones:
Wasim Akram demolishing England in the 1992 final
Pakistan had had a bumpy ride to the 1992 final, where they faced off against England.
Wasim Akram had hit a swift 33 during his side’s 249-6 innings in the final, but it was his bowling that stole the show. Although Allan Lamb and Neil Fairbrother had repaired some of the damage with a fifth wicket stand of 72 after the side slipped, Akram suddenly found some ruthless form. In successive deliveries, he dismissed Lamb and new batsman Chris Lewis to obliterate England’s hopes of lifting the trophy. Pakistan, captained by Imran Khan, won by 22 runs.
Herschelle Gibbs smashing out 6 sixes in 2007
Herschelle Gibbs was in merciless form when South Africa faced the Netherlands in 2007. South Africa’s whopping 221 run win over the Dutch became memorable after Gibbs dished out 6 sixes in a single over. Daan van Bunge was the unfortunate bowler opposite Gibbs that day. Rain had delayed the start of play that day, and the number of overs had been reduced to 40, but it was still enough for South Africa to chalk up 353-4. Gibbs later hit one more maximum before Luuk van Troost dismissed him, much to the relief of the Dutch.
This year’s event
The 2023 Cricket World Cup will be a 50 over event and will be the 13th edition of the tournament. It will also be the fourth time India has hosted the event.
Ten teams will duke it out on the crease in their bid for the trophy. Each team will face each other in a round robin stage. A victory will earn the sides two points. A no result will see the sides share the points.
The top four teams at the end of the round robin will go through to the semi-finals. The winners of these semi-finals will then go head to head in the final for the trophy.
The main pathway to qualification is the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League 2023. The top seven teams, plus India who qualify automatically as hosts, earn direct entry to the tournament.
Qualification for the remaining two places is a much more complex affair. The five remaining teams in the CWCSL table, the top three from Cricket World Cup League 2 and the top two from the 2023 World Cup Qualifier Playoff must then battle for the last two spots in the Cricket World Cup Qualifier.
Who will win?
Predictions are being made early and punters are thinking about who to back to win. Online bookies in India have India, England and Australia as the favourites to win the World Cup.
England are the defending champions, so all eyes will be on them to see if they can hold onto their title. Their form has nosedived recently.
Meanwhile, the hosts have been playing well in recent years, with players such as Rohit Sharma driving the Indian team forward. India also have the advantage of playing in front of their home crowd and will be looking to capitalise on this.
Australia have had a disappointing last few years, but that doesn’t mean their best days are behind them in world cricket. Mitchell Marsh’s awesome hitting power will be essential during their campaign. If the other players can call upon all their talents, Australia could lift the trophy again.
The Cricket World Cup 2023 is going to be an exciting battle. The pressure is on England to defend their title, but India will be hoping to delight the home crowd and bring the trophy to India for at least the next four years.
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