Geoff Allardyce was a bit unprepared to hear the question that day.
In the second week of June, the India-Australia World Test Championship final was played at The Oval. According to what BCCI Secretary Jai Shah said ten days ago, the schedule of the 2023 ODI World Cup should be announced at that time. But the ICC chief executive is silent on this. When asked by the BBC, Allardyce’s response was helplessness, the schedule had not reached him yet! The ICC chief executive could not say why the delay, or when the final schedule would be announced.
Allardyce’s waiting list was officially announced in the last week of June. Just 100 days before the opening match of the World Cup. But the long drawn-out schedule is not the ‘final schedule’ in the end. One match schedule change request came from Ahmedabad, another from Kolkata. In changing the schedule of these one-two matches, there was a big ‘push’ in the matches before and after the World Cup. In dealing with the shock, not one or two changes had to be made in 9 matches. But as things stand at the moment, it is almost risky to call even the latest schedule ‘final’ 55 days before the start of the India-World Cup. More changes that are eye-catching! It’s more like this –
The World Cup schedule is now in the grip of the ‘butterfly effect’.
The ODI World Cup is the biggest event in cricket in terms of size, tradition, and scope of events. Plans and preparations for this have been going on for a long time. In most of these, there is no connection between the audience and the participating parties. Teams engagement is best done by being the ultimate opponent. And the audience joins by buying tickets. Both are messed up now.
Since the league stage of the World Cup is a round-robin format, the names of the opponents are known in advance. But the condition is also important because when to play in which field is also very important in cricket. That is why the 2019 World Cup schedule was announced 13 months ago for the convenience of the teams. But to get the schedule of this year’s India-World Cup to be held in India, the teams had to do a kind of “Happityesh”. Bangladesh team coach Chandika Hathurusingh expressed regret about this at the end of April. Hathurusinghe said after the camp of the Bangladesh team in Sylhet, the effect of the delay in publishing the schedule affects everyone, if it is announced earlier, a clear idea is given.
Ending the wait for Hathurusinghe and other coaches
The World Cup schedule was officially announced on June 27. Starting on October 5 and ending on November 19, both the opening and closing matches will be held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. India-Pakistan ‘High Voltage’ match on October 15 is also held in this stadium, which is the largest in the world in terms of seats. There has been a lot of controversy surrounding this match even before the schedule was announced as Pakistan did not want to play in Ahmedabad.
But after the release of the schedule, it was found that the ‘timing’ of the ‘high voltage’ match was untimely. On the same day, the local police requested to change the schedule as the 9-day Navratri festival of Sanatan religious people started in Ahmedabad. A couple of weeks later, another request came from Kolkata citing religious festivals, this time for the Pakistan-England match on November 12.
But changing the schedule of one or two matches is not all, it involves more or less a break with the schedule of other matches of the teams, a change of travel schedule, and sufficient-insufficient practice. There are the pitfalls of viewers booking hotels in advance and the broadcasters’ staffing and campaigning complications. That’s why Australian journalist Geoff Lemmon criticized BCCI as an ‘incompetent sports organization’.
Ultimately this ‘schedule complexity’ was dealt with by changing the schedule of nine matches.
The most ‘victims’ are Bangladesh, Pakistan, and England.
There are changes in the schedule of three matches of three teams. This schedule published on August 9 is called the ‘final schedule’ of the India-World Cup. But what is the gist of the media reports of India and Pakistan, there may be more changes in the India-World Cup schedule. Firstly, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has expressed deep concern about security despite confirming its participation in the World Cup. Pakistan’s government is supposed to send security teams to match venues in Pakistan. If the security team objects to a venue, can the ICC skip it directly?
Meanwhile, the India-Netherlands match on November 11 in Hyderabad has been moved to the next day in the changed schedule. Diwali again on that day. If the schedule is changed due to Navratri in Ahmedabad and Kali Puja in Kolkata, that ‘opportunity’ is also due to Diwali!
The issue was brought up by the Indian media Times of India.
In the end, if that is the case, this World Cup may turn into a joke. Of course, what has happened so far is that – or less than a joke!
The returning Bolt wants to win the World Cup this time
Trent Boult was absent from New Zealand’s last 35 matches.
He didn’t play because he didn’t want to play, not because of injury or urgent family reasons. Bolt walked out of New Zealand Cricket’s (NZC) central contract last year, saying he would decide whether to play or not to play. Bolt, who played the last ODI last September, will play a one-day match for New Zealand in September. The 34-year-old pacer has been included in the squad for the 4-match ODI series against England.
The reason for Bolt’s return after almost a year is the World Cup. The 13th edition of the ODI World Cup will begin in India in October.