Guwahati To Host 4 Warm-up Matches Before Cricket WC, ICC Releases Schedule
The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday announced the schedule for the warm-up matches to take place ahead of World Cup 2023 and Guwahati is set to host four such matches.
Guwahati's Barsapara Stadium was snubbed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) from hosting a World Cup 2023 match when the ICC announced the schedule for the tournament to be held in India back in the month of June.
Cricket lovers from the Northeastern region of the country had their hopes of witnessing a World Cup match in Guwahati dashed with the decision coming from the apex governing body of the game.
However, Guwahati was selected among other cities to miss out on hosting a World Cup match, to host the warm-up matches in the build-up to the mega event.
According to ICC's schedule Guwahati's Barsapara Stadium will see four warm-up matches starting from September 29 and going on till October 3.
On September 29, Bangladesh will take on Sri Lanka in the first warm-up match, followed by India hosting England in the second warm-up match on September 30.
This will be followed by the third match on October 2 that will be played between England and Bangladesh, while the fourth and final warm-up match in Guwahati will see Afghanistan face-off agsint Sri Lanka.
It may be noted that the all 10 participating teams in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 will each play two official 50-over contests during the week leading up to the start of the World Cup on October 5, with matches to be held in three different cities across India, the ICC announced.
Warm-up fixtures in full:
Friday 29 September
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.
Saturday 30 September
India v England, Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati.
Australia v Netherlands, Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram.
Monday 2 October
England v Bangladesh, Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati.
New Zealand v South Africa, Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram.
Tuesday 3 October
Afghanistan v Sri Lanka, Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati.
India v Netherlands, Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram.
Pakistan v Australia, Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad.
