The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday announced the schedule for warm-up matches ahead of the 2023 World Cup, scheduled to take place in India in October-November. The home team will play in two warm-up games against England (September 30) and Netherlands (October 3). The World Cup proper begins on October 5 with previous edition's finalists, England and New Zealand meeting at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram, and Hyderabad will be hosting the warm-up matches for the 2023 World Cup. While India's first game against England takes place in Guwahati, Rohit Sharma's men travel to Kerala for their second game against Netherlands, who had qualified for the 10-team tournament after finishing runners-up in the qualifiers in June.
Asian sides Bangladesh and Sri Lanka meet in the opening day of warm-up, in addition to South Africa taking on Afghanistan, and Pakistan meeting New Zealand on September 29. Australia will face Netherlands in the only second game alongside India's on 30th.
While England meet Bangladesh on October 2, New Zealand face a tough opposition in South Africa. The final day of the warm-up sees Pakistan locking horns with Australia while Afghanistan face Sri Lanka.
Here's the full list of warm-up matches scheduled ahead of the 2023 World Cup:
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
India v England, Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati
Australia v Netherlands, Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram
England v Bangladesh, Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati
New Zealand v South Africa, Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram
Afghanistan v Sri Lanka, Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati
India v Netherlands, Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram
Pakistan v Australia, Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad
Team India will begin its campaign in the 2023 World Cup against Australia on October 8. The much-awaited clash between India and Pakistan will take place on October 14; it was pulled a day ahead due to security concerns in Ahmedabad.