The 13th edition of the ICC ODI World Cup is taking place today after ending all the speculation and drama. With the participation of 10 countries, the entire cricket world will be in a frenzy for the next one and a half months.
This season starts with the match between the champions of the last season, England and the runners-up New Zealand. The match will start at 2:30 PM Bangladesh time at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad with a capacity of 130,000.
Eight players who won the World Cup at home in 2019 led by Eoin Morgan are in this team. England won the title after defeating New Zealand in a drama-filled match. The 2019 Lord’s final against New Zealand was tied. In the end, as the result of the match was not decided in the Super Over, England won the championship as the best team on the boundary-count law.
On the other hand, New Zealand, who have played in the semi-finals in eight of the 12 World Cups held so far, are looking to win their first title. Along with a world-class pace attack led by Trent Boult-Southee, the spin of Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi can play a good supporting role in the Indian turning pitch.
This time India has organized the World Cup alone. Earlier they were co-hosts of the ODI World Cup three times. Initially each team from ten countries will play 9 matches against each other. Then the semi-final fight will begin. The final match of the World Cup will be held on November 19.
This time the release of the schedule of the 13th season has also been delayed a lot. Since then, changes have been made to that schedule several times. Besides, visa complications for cricketers and media workers, objections about the venue of the Pakistan team – all in all, India has been under criticism since the start of the World Cup.
The grand opening ceremony of the World Cup was supposed to take place before the main battle started on the field. But due to technical reasons, the Indian Cricket Board – BCCI did not organize any grand opening ceremony in this year’s event.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has introduced several new rules for the 13th edition of the World Cup. They have already given several guidelines. They are-
1. The boundary cannot be shortened to 70 meters. More grass should be kept on the pitch. This step has been taken to control the dew. The curators have already been informed.
2. In the 2019 World Cup, England and New Zealand tied in the final Super Over. Later the team with more four-sixes is declared the winner. This created controversy in the cricket world. In the face of various criticisms, the ICC has changed the rules.
In this year’s Cricket Mahayajna, if a match is tied, the team with more four-sixes in the value innings will not win. In this case, both the teams have to play consecutive super overs. Those who win in the end will have the last laugh.
3. This year, the batter can be dismissed using the ‘Mancad’ method. This rule has not been seen in ICC mega events in the past. But this time it is the first one whose vision can match.
4. Each match will be in two sessions. 3 hours 50 minutes will be allotted for one session. There will be a break of 45 minutes in between. The captains can reveal the best XI just before the toss.
5. A bowler can bowl a maximum of 10 overs. However, overs may be shortened in rain-affected matches. In that case, he cannot bowl more than one-fifth or 20 percent of the total overs of his quota in 1 innings.
6. In the first power play (10 overs) only 2 fielders can stay outside the 30 yard circle. In the second power play (11 to 40 overs) 4 fielders will get that opportunity. And in the third power play (41 to 50 overs) 5 fielders will get that permission.
7. If a match is tied in the league stage, it will not be converted into Super Over. However, that system has been kept in the knockout stage. Any semi-final match or a tie in the final will be decided by super overs.
8. Duckworth-Lewis method (DLS) will be applicable in rain interrupted matches. If both teams play at least 20 overs, the winner will be declared in this system. If less than this, the points will be shared between the two teams. With that the match will be considered canceled or abandoned.
9. A reserve day has been kept for semis. The system is also in the final. It will be the next day after the scheduled date of play. In this case, where the first day ends, the next day will begin from there.
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh team reached the match venue Dharamshala to play their first match in the World Cup. They stepped there without captain Shakib Al Hasan. The Tigers captain rushed to Ahmedabad to attend the captain’s meet. He will join the team after the event.
Bangladesh will play their first match in the World Cup against Afghanistan on October 7.
(05 October/NBW/ES)