The Cricketer breaks down the nuts and bolts of the competition: format, history, squads, odds, TV and streaming information and much, much more...
This is the 13th edition of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup, with the competition taking place every four years. The 2023 tournament is being held in India with 10 teams facing off in the 50-over one-day international format.
The tournament starts on Thursday, October 5 when England face New Zealand in Ahmedabad. The last match of the group stage is on Sunday, October 12 with the semi-finals taking place on November 15 and 16 before the final is held where the tournament started, in Ahmedabad on Sunday, November 19.
Each team has 50 overs to bat and bowl, as per a standard ODI match, and the team that scores the most runs win.
There are also three powerplay phases of the innings during which the number of fielders that can be deployed in the outfield changes.
Powerplay one lasts for the first 10 overs and restricts the fielding team to having only two fielders outside the 30-yard inner circle. Powerplay two covers overs 11-40 in which the fielding team captain can only position a maximum of four fielders outside the inner circle.
Powerplay three is for the last 10 overs where a maximum of five fielders can be outside the inner circle.
Additionally, no bowler can deliver more than 10 overs during the innings.
If both innings last the full allotted overs, they should last around three and a half hours each with a 30-minute interval between. There will also be two drinks breaks in each session around an hour and 10 minutes apart.
In the event both teams finish on the same score, a super over will be used to separate them. Teams can select any batsmen to take part, even if they have been given out in the match. If both nations are tied after the first super over, a second will follow. They will continue until there is a clear winner.
Can England defend their crown from 2019? (GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)
Ten teams are embarking for glory in India.
Eight sides qualified for the tournament through the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League comprising a series of matches between 2020 and 2023 with 13 teams facing off and the top eight qualifying automatically for the World Cup.
The eight teams who progressed were: India (who automatically qualified as hosts), Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa.
The bottom five teams of the Super League then faced off against the five qualifiers in a 10-team tournament in Zimbabwe to determine the final two entrants. Sri Lanka and the Netherlands prevailed to complete the line-up.
The 10 teams will compete in a single group stage with every team facing each other once. At the end of the group stage, the top four teams will advance to the semi-finals.
During the group stage teams will get two points for a win, and one point for a no result. If there are teams that finish on the same number of points at the end of the group stage, positions will be decided by who has the better net-run rate (NRR).
In the knock-out stage, the first-place team will face the team in fourth while the second-place team will take on third. The victors of each semi-final will then fight for the trophy in the final on November 19.
The World Cup finished in dramatic fashion as England won on home soil, defeating New Zealand in the final after a tied super over saw them prevail on boundary countback, a rule that was soon scrapped.
Ben Stokes was England's hero, hitting 84 as they matched New Zealand's score of 241 and he returned for the super over, partnering Jos Buttler as they made 15 runs off Trent Boult. Jofra Archer then held his nerve, with Buttler running out Martin Guptill to secure victory at Lord's.
India topped the group in 2019 before losing out to New Zealand in the semi-final, while England defeated second-placed Australia to advance to the final.
India are favourites to once again win the World Cup on home soil (Hamish Blair/Getty Images)
The Men's Cricket World Cup has been running for nearly fifty years and is the most storied international white-ball cricket tournament.
England hosted the first two tournaments in 1975 and 1979, however, it was the West Indies who were the early trailblazers by triumphing on each occasion. The 2023 World will be the first time that the team from the Caribbean will not be present after they failed to make it through the qualifying tournament.
At the turn of the century, Australia displayed their dominance as they claimed the title on three successive occasions between 1999 and 2007. The Baggy Green are the most successful team with five World Cup titles overall.
India, who have won it twice (1983 and 2011), Pakistan (1992) and Sri Lanka (1996) are the other nations to go all the way.
Set in one of the most passionate cricketing countries in the world, a setting full of beauty, colour, and culture, this World Cup will have a vibrant atmosphere. And it promises to be particularly fervent when India play Pakistan on October 14 in a rare meeting between the two sides.
Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium, the largest cricket stadium in the world, will host one of the fiercest rivalries in world sport, let alone cricket, an intense and unmissable match in the group stage.
From Virat Kohli of India, to Australia's Mitchell Starc, England's Ben Stokes and New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson there are superstars at every turn. Meanwhile, the likes of Afghanistan, Netherlands and Bangladesh will be bidding to upset the status quo on the biggest stage.
Qualifiers Netherlands head to India bidding to cause a surprise or two (PHILL MAGAKOE/AFP via Getty Images)
Afghanistan: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdul Rahman, Naveen ul Haq.
Australia: Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Sean Abbott, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc.
Bangladesh: Shakib Al Hasan (c), Litton Kumer Das, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Najmul Hossain Shanto (vc), Tawhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nasum Ahmed, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib.
England: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes.
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav.
Netherlands: Scott Edwards (c), Max O'Dowd, Bas de Leede, Vikram Singh, Teja Nidamanuru, Paul van Meekeren, Colin Ackermann, Roelof van der Merwe, Logan van Beek, Aryan Dutt, Ryan Klein, Wesley Barresi, Saqib Zulfiqar, Shariz Ahmad, Sybrand Engelbrecht.
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (c), Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitch Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Will Young.
Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim.
South Africa: Temba Bavuma (c), Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen, Lizaad Williams.
Sri Lanka: Dasun Shanaka (c), Kusal Mendis (vc), Kusal Perera, Pathum Nissanka, Lahiru Kumara, Dimuth Karunaratne, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Kasun Rajitha, Matheesha Pathirana, Dilshan Madushanka, Dushan Hemantha.
There are still some tickets remaining with some matches still not on sale. All ticket information can be found on www.cricketworldcup.com
Babar Azam's Pakistan team are back in India for the first time since 2016 (ISHARA S.KODIKARA/AFP via Getty Images)
India 15/8
England 16/5
Australia 4/1
Pakistan 6/1
South Africa 15/2
New Zealand 9/1
Sri Lanka 25/1
Bangladesh 100/1
Afghanistan 100/1
Netherlands 500/1
Viewers in the UK can watch the tournament live on Sky Sports while Channel 5 will be showing highlights throughout the tournament on free-to-air.
Test Match Special will broadcast live commentary of matches throughout via Radio 5 Sports Extra and the BBC Sport website where video highlights can also be found.
Games will be shown live for Australian audiences via Fox Sports while New Zealand viewers will be able to watch on Sky Sports NZ.
In India the matches will be shown on Star Sports and Pakistan fans will be able to watch on PTV and ARY.
ESPN will be showing the games for cricket fans in the Caribbean while fans in North America will be able to watch via ESPN+ and Willow TV.
For South Africa, the games will be broadcast on SuperSport and Sri Lanka will have matches shown on Maharaja TV.
World Cup matches will be shown on Gazi TV in Bangladesh and on Ariana TV in Afghanistan.
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