Aussies to open World Cup with blockbuster India clash

Australia face a blockbuster clash with tournament hosts India to open their 2023 ODI World Cup campaign, with fixtures for the tournament confirmed today.

The tournament will start with a rematch of the 2019 final between England and New Zealand on October 5 in Ahmedabad – 100 days from now – with Australia opening their campaign against India in Chennai three days later.

Australia have won five of the six ODIs they've played previously in Chennai, including a 21-run win in March this year with an innings powered by Mitchell Marsh as an opening batter.

"The Aussie team has had some success over recent years in ODI and T20 cricket, so we'll be pumped to be there," Australia captain Pat Cummins said in a statement.

"You know there's going to be big crowds, but no bigger than playing India at home in a World Cup game, so that's going to be exciting for us.

It will be a huge challenge, they're a top-class team, but if you want to win a World Cup, you're going to have to be better than everyone else, so why not take on India straight up."

The Aussies will then play South Africa and a yet-to-be determined qualifier in Lucknow with games on October 13 and 16 before moving to Bengaluru for another blockbuster showdown with Pakistan.

It had been reported that Pakistan attempted to change the venue for their clash with Australia.

The Aussies then move to Delhi to face another qualifier from the ongoing tournament being held in Zimbabwe, before a trans-Tasman clash with New Zealand at the foot of the Himalayas at picturesque Dharamsala on October 28.

A meeting with England at the mammoth Ahmedabad stadium follows on November 4, before the Aussies round out their group stage with matches against Afghanistan in Mumbai on November 7 and Bangladesh in Pune on November 12.

Hosts India are scheduled to play neighbouring Pakistan on October 15 in Ahmedabad, the stadium with a capacity of 132,000.

While there is plenty of goodwill between the playing groups of India and Pakistan, the fraught political relationship between the two subcontinent powerhouses and their fan bases will be an underlying subplot to the tournament.

Pakistan authorities were reported to be unwilling to play their group stage matches at the Ahmedabad stadium, and the team's participation in the tournament will require approval from the nation's government.

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Ahmedabad will also host the final on November 19, with the two semi-finals to be held on November 15 in Mumbai and November 16 in Kolkata. Should Pakistan make the semi-finals, they will play the match in Kolkata, irrespective of what position they finish in.

This tournament is the last of the 10-team World Cups, following on from the condensed format of the 2019 tournament in England and Wales.

Australia, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, England, New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa have already joined hosts India as qualifying for the tournament, with two more to be selected from the current qualifying event in Zimbabwe.

Hosts Zimbabwe currently sit as front runners to qualify ahead of the Super Six stage of that tournament, with Sri Lanka, Scotland and the Netherlands all carrying points forward from the group stage. Oman and the West Indies, the two-time ODI World Cup champions, brought no points forward to the Super Six stage, the later suffering a thrilling Super Over defeat to the Netherlands overnight.

"Winning a World Cup is huge. Luckily enough a few of us have won an ODI World Cup and a T20 World Cup, so there's lots of confidence in the group and a lot of experience as well," Cummins said.

"It's one of those career highlights where you're lucky if you have one, let alone a few of them, so that's going to be the aim for a lot of the guys.

"These are the kind of tournaments that at the end of your career, you look back on, so we'll be there, pumped, and giving it everything.

"It's a bit of a different group, we all get on really well, so we're excited. We'll have a lot of fun when we get over there and we can't wait to get there."

The 2023 ODI World Cup will be screened in Australia on Foxtel and Kayo Sports under their existing deal with India's Star Sports, which will conclude at the end of the tournament. The Nine Network will again be Foxtel's free-to-air broadcast partner for that tournament, and is expected to show Australia's matches, as well as the finals.

The ICC went to market last September for a new Australian broadcaster for its events from 2024 and beyond, but has not yet announced a successful bidder. The Seven network, which jointly holds Australia's domestic broadcast rights, partnered with the ICC in a one-off venture for this year's World Test Championship final.

Australia's 2023 ODI World Cup fixtures

v India, October 8, Chennai

v South Africa, October 13, Lucknow

v Qualifier 2, October 16, Lucknow

v Pakistan, October 20, Bengaluru

v Qualifier 1, October 25, Delhi

v New Zealand, October 28, Dharamsala

v England, November 4, Ahmedabad

v Afghanistan, November 7, Mumbai

v Bangladesh, November 12, Pune