The Most Surprising & Interesting Facts About ODI World Cup 2023
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ICC ODI World Cup 2023 schedule has arrived, bringing a wave of thrill and joy worldwide. Fans are rushing to buy World Cup tickets, players are practicing hard, and event managers are putting in their best efforts to make it a memorable tournament.
Like other ODI World Cup tournaments, this year’s game has some interesting things worth noting. So, in this blog, we’ll talk about some interesting facts about the ODI World Cup 2023.
Let’s take a look:
Captain Kane Williamson is coming back!
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New Zealand’s national cricket team captain, Kane Williamson, was ruled out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 as he sustained a knee injury during the season opener against Chennai Super Kings (CSK). So, everyone was saying that the captain could miss the ODI World Cup after the injury.
But Williamson proved it wrong! The 33-year-old cricketer has announced a speedy recovery and his name on the list of the NZ team for the upcoming ODI World Cup 2023. Williamson’s name for Kiwis’ 15-member ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup squad was announced in a heartfelt message by his wife, Sarah Raheem, along with their daughter Maggie and son.
This comeback is truly noteworthy, given the severity of the cricketer’s injury and fans’ assumptions.
India has become the first Asian country to completely host the ICC ODI World Cup for the first time.
Image credit: BBC
The entire tournament will take place in India as the Asian country is hosting the 50-over format this time around with no co-hosts. Earlier, India has co-hosted the Cricket World Cup thrice with other countries:
- 1996 with Pakistan and Sri Lanka
- I987 with Pakistan
- 2011 with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka
But this time, the complete tournament will be held in India. And the country seems to be fully prepared for the grand event in the cricket world. Ten stadiums across the country have been renovated at a large scale to organize the tournament.
The host country has been winning the World Cup since 2011. What does this mean?
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In 2011, India hosted the world cup with co-hosts, including Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, with India playing the main host. The final match was played between India and Sri Lanka at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. And India won the tournament.
In 2015, Australia played the main host for the World Cup, with New Zealand co-hosting the tournament. The final match was played between Australia and New Zealand at MCG Melbourne, Australia. And Australia won the tournament.
In 2019, England and Wales hosted the World Cup. The final match was played between England and New Zealand at Lord’s Cricket Ground London. And England won the tournament.
So, this pattern shows that history favors the host! For the last three times, the main host country is bringing home the trophy. Let’s see what happens this time!
West Indies not playing in the World Cup for the first time ever.
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This is unfortunate and heartbreaking for many cricket pundits and fans worldwide!
Once the emperor of one-day cricket and one of international cricket’s biggest teams, West Indies is out of the World Cup. The team has failed to qualify for the ODI World Cup 2023 after losing to Scotland in the Super Six stage in the qualifier matches hosted by Zimbabwe.
West Indies dominated ODI champions by winning the World Cup in 1975 and 1979 and runners-up in 1983. But the Caribbean side will not play in this year’s tournament.
The final match will be played at the world’s largest cricket stadium.
The final rivalry on November 19 will take place at Narendra Modi Stadium, which is the world’s largest cricket stadium. Spread across 63 acres, the stadium has a seating capacity of 1,32,000 cricket fans.
Previously known as Motera Stadium, the venue has undergone an INR 800 crore exorbitant makeover and was renamed after current PM Narendra Modi.
Don’t be surprised to see actors and politicians in attendance, as the stadium has air-conditioned 76 corporate boxes, each with a seating capacity of 25 people. Interestingly, one of the most-awaited India vs. Pakistan matches will take place in this stadium on October 14.
Full Members of ICC Out (Zimbabwe and Ireland) and Netherlands In.
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It’s as surprising as West Indies’ disqualification! Zimbabwe and Ireland, which are the full members of the ICC and test-playing nations, have failed to qualify for the World Cup 2023.
It’s worth noting that Zimbabwe hosted the ICC World Cup Qualifier tournament in June 2023. And Zimbabwe was highly expected to qualify for the final tournament. But it didn’t happen.
And beating everyone’s expectations, the Netherlands has qualified for the World Cup despite a meager chance to make it to the tournament.
Hope you enjoyed these interesting facts about the ODI World Cup 2023. Did we miss anything? Let us know.
