In the biggest match of the upcoming ICC Men’s ODI World Cup, which will take place in October-November, Pakistan and India will square off at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Since the International Cricket Council (ICC) has yet to formally announce the schedule for the championship tournament, there has been much speculation regarding the fixtures.
However, according to the tentative schedule, Pakistan will play the majority of its games in Kolkata, located in eastern India, and the southern region of India.
Pakistan will launch their campaign in Hyderabad on October 6 and 12, where they will face two qualifying teams. Pakistan will then relocate to Ahmedabad, where they can anticipate a standing-room only home crowd to welcome them against India, their archrivals and the hosts, on October 15.
The Babar Azam-led team will then move to Bengaluru to face Australia, the five-time champions, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on October 20, before traveling to Chennai to face Afghanistan and South Africa on October 23 and 27. Following that high-stakes match, the team will move to Chennai to face Afghanistan and South Africa on October 23 and 27.
Pakistan’s chances of making it to the semifinals would by that point be fairly clear to everyone, but their final three league games will present them with a tough test. They play Bangladesh in Kolkata on October 31 before returning to Bengaluru on November 5 to take on New Zealand, who finished second in 2015 and 2019.
At the Eden Gardens on November 12, 1992 league champions Pakistan will play English, the reigning champion.
There is some worry about the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)’s matches being impacted by rain, despite the fact that they have more or less secured their preferred venues in the championship tournament.
There is no guarantee that Bengaluru won’t experience rain in the early weeks of October if the monsoon is retreating in the month of September.
Chennai is similarly situated. Although the coastal city and West Bengal’s capital Kolkata is renowned for sporadic showers, it is also anticipated that these two months will be dry.
Due to the political acrimony between the two nations, the PCB decided to hold onto Chennai and Kolkata as the tournament’s primary venues.
While the hosts and the ICC have agreed to let them play in both cities, it remains to be seen how the PCB and Pakistani supporters will react if any of their games are postponed due to rain, which could hurt their chances of advancing to the tournament’s later rounds.
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates