The countdown to the ICC World Cup 2023 has officially begun as the best cricket teams from around the world will battle it out for the ultimate prize. The 13th edition of the World Cup will be hosted by India this year, and fans can expect a thrilling event with top-quality cricket and most likely several historic moments. Graana.com shares all the details about the event schedule, venues, and teams participating in this mega event below.
History of ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup
The first edition of the Cricket World Cup took place in 1975 in England. India has a long history with the tournament, having previously co-hosted the event in 1987, 1996, and 2011. This will be the first time that India is the sole host of the Cricket World Cup.
England will be the defending champions heading into the 2023 tournament, having won the trophy on home soil in 2019 with a victory over New Zealand in the final at Lord’s.
Australia has been the most successful team in the history of the tournament, winning the title 5 times. The West Indies and India have also won the tournament twice, while Pakistan and Sri Lanka have won it once each.
Qualification Process
With a talented group of teams set to compete in the 2023 Cricket World Cup, it promises to be an exciting and highly competitive tournament. It is scheduled to take place from October to November 2023. A total of 10 teams will compete for the trophy, with the tournament following a similar format to the 2019 edition in England and Wales.
The qualification process will be through the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League 2020-23, with the top seven teams in the CWCSL table, along with host nation India, gaining direct entry into the tournament.
The remaining five teams on the CWCSL table, along with the top three teams from the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 and the top two teams from the 2023 World Cup Qualifier Play-off, will then compete in the 2023 Cricket World Cup Qualifier to determine the final two teams to qualify for the tournament.
The teams will play a round-robin stage, with each team facing off against the other nine teams once. A victory in a match will earn a team two points, while a no-result will give both teams one point. At the end of the round-robin stage, the top four teams will advance to the semi-finals, with the winners of those matches facing off in the final to determine the champion.
ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Schedule
The schedule of this main event hasn’t been announced yet, while those of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Challenge League and League 2 have been announced.
ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Challenge League
The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Challenge League is a two-and-a-half-year competition featuring 12 teams vying for a spot in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. They are divided into two groups, A and B, each consisting of six teams that will play 15 matches over two years.
Group A includes Canada, Denmark, Malaysia, Singapore, Qatar, and Vanuatu, while group B comprises Bermuda, Hong Kong, Italy, Jersey, Kenya, and Uganda.
The top team in each league at the end of the competition will earn a place in the Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier Play-Off in 2023, along with the bottom four teams from Men’s CWC League 2. The top two teams from the Play-Off will have a chance to compete in the 2023 Cricket World Cup in India.
The Challenge League took place from 2019 to 2021 with Canada and Jersey qualifying for the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier Play-off.
League A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | NR | Pts | NRR | Qualification |
| 1 | Canada | 15 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 27 | 2.563 | Qualification for the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier Play-off |
| 2 | Denmark | 15 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 0.573 | |
| 3 | Qatar | 15 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 17 | −0.369 | |
| 4 | Singapore | 15 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 14 | −0.061 | |
| 5 | Malaysia | 15 | 4 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 8 | −1.058 | Qualification for the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge Play-off |
| 6 | Vanuatu | 15 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 7 | −1.365 |
League B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | NR | Pts | NRR | Qualification |
| 1 | Jersey | 15 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 1.541 | Advanced to the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier Play-off |
| 2 | Uganda | 15 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 1.062 | |
| 3 | Hong Kong | 15 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 0.548 | |
| 4 | Kenya | 15 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 0.188 | |
| 5 | Italy | 15 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 11 | −0.626 | Qualification for the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge Play-off |
| 6 | Bermuda | 15 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −3.192 |
ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2
The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 is a two-and-a-half-year competition featuring seven teams that are just a couple of steps away from the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. League 2, which is one tier below the Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League, will consist of 21 tri-series and involve 36 One Day Internationals (ODI) for each team, including Namibia, Nepal, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Scotland, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States.
A total of 126 matches will be played from August 2019 to February 2023, with the top three teams qualifying for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2022.
The bottom four teams will drop into the Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier Play-Off 2022, a repechage event, along with the winner of Challenge League A and B. The top two teams from the Play-Off will have a chance to participate in the 2023 Cricket World Cup in India.
Schedule of ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2
Following is the complete schedule of the League 2 of the Men’s Cricket World Cup.
Host | Dates | Participating Teams |
| Oman | March 2021 | Oman, USA, Nepal |
| PNG | April 2021 | PNG, Oman, Scotland |
| PNG | May 2021 | PNG, USA, Namibia |
| Scotland | July 2021 | Scotland, Nepal, Namibia |
| USA | August 2021 | USA, Scotland, UAE |
| Namibia | TBC | Namibia, Oman, UAE |
| UAE | December 2021 | UAE, Namibia, Oman |
| Nepal | February 2022 | Nepal, UAE, PNG |
| Namibia | April 2022 | Namibia, Nepal, Scotland |
| Scotland | June 2022 | Scotland, UAE, USA |
| USA | July 2022 | USA, Nepal, Oman |
| Namibia | TBC | Namibia, PNG, USA |
| PNG | October 2022 | PNG, UAE, Nepal |
| Oman | 22 November – 2 December 2022 | Oman, Scotland, PNG |
| Nepal | February 2023 | Nepal, Namibia, Scotland |
| UAE | February 2023 | UAE, PNG, Nep |
ICC Men’s ODI Team Rankings
The ICC Men’s ODI Team Rankings is a system that ranks international ODI cricket teams based on their performance.
After every ODI match, the teams receive points based on a specific formula, which are then divided by the number of matches played to determine their rating.
The teams are categorized according to their rating, with the highest-rated team at the top.
| POS | Team | Matches | Points | Rating |
| 1 | New Zealand | 23 | 2,670 | 116 |
| 2 | England | 30 | 3,400 | 113 |
| 3 | Australia | 32 | 3,572 | 112 |
| 4 | India | 38 | 4,098 | 108 |
| 5 | Pakistan | 22 | 2,354 | 107 |
| 6 | South Africa | 24 | 2,392 | 100 |
| 7 | Bangladesh | 33 | 3,129 | 95 |
| 8 | Sri Lanka | 31 | 2,800 | 90 |
| 9 | Afghanistan | 20 | 1,419 | 71 |
| 10 | West Indies | 41 | 2,902 | 71 |
| 11 | Ireland | 23 | 1,214 | 53 |
| 12 | Scotland | 31 | 1,459 | 47 |
| 13 | Zimbabwe | 26 | 1,098 | 42 |
| 14 | Namibia | 26 | 971 | 37 |
| 15 | Netherlands | 21 | 673 | 32 |
| 16 | Oman | 30 | 919 | 31 |
| 17 | UAE | 25 | 693 | 28 |
| 18 | United States | 31 | 821 | 26 |
| 19 | Nepal | 28 | 456 | 16 |
| 20 | Papua New Guinea | 30 | 128 | 4 |
Conclusion
The tournament is expected to be a closely contested event, and fans can anticipate some high-scoring matches, as well as some nail-biting finishes.
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