3 teams that have been worst affected by the rescheduling of World Cup 2023 matches
The much-awaited refurbished schedule of the 2023 ODI World Cup was recently released. With the India-Pakistan encounter being at the fore, cause, and epitome of the entire process, it did induce notable changes to other fixtures as well.
The late changes, though not well received, considering the timing of all things, were accepted by the teams. Several teams will have to return to their calendars to change some of the dates and markings and while it does not cause an awful lot of harm, it does make an impact to a certain extent.
The clash between India and Pakistan was preponed to October 14 from October 15. Apart from that, eight other World Cup matches saw a slight shift in the schedule, with a couple of timing changes to take note of as well.
There are no changes to either end of the schedule of the 2023 ODI World Cup. The opening match is still slated to be played on October 5 and the final is scheduled for November 19.
The changes have naturally been kind to some teams and a bit harsh on others. On that note, let us take a look at three teams that have been worst affected by the rescheduling of World Cup 2023 matches.
#1 Bangladesh
Bangladesh, amid uncertainty surrounding their ODI captaincy, head into the World Cup with a lot of expectation. They finished third in the Super League and are a formidable threat in subcontinent conditions.
However, the recent scheduling changes have not gone in their favor, not largely due to a date change, but due to a change in timing. Their league-stage encounter against New Zealand was initially scheduled as a day match on October 14.
The match has now been preponed to October 13 and will be played under the lights. The MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai is undoubtedly one of the most spin-friendly venues on the list and could have exploited it completely with a day encounter.
Not only does a day-night encounter dilute their threat a bit, but also the date change means that they have to play both the 2019 World Cup finalists within three days.
#2 India
The Men in Blue's fixture against Pakistan was already a challenge with respect to logistics and everything else. While the change complicates things for the supporters and organizers, it does make matters a bit tricky for India as well.
With the contest being moved back 24 hours, Team India will now have only a two-day gap following their encounter against Afghanistan in Delhi (October 11). While Pakistan's gap for the fixture remains at three days, it is still an issue to be considered.
With travel involved as well, the hosts would have ideally liked some breathing space for the high-octane encounter at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
#3 England
The defending champions have had plenty of changes to their World Cup schedule. Firstly, their match against Afghanistan has been moved from October 14 to October 15, essentially a swap with the India-Pakistan encounter.
However, England's real concern comes in the form of the reshuffle at the end of the league stage. A change to the fixture date for their encounter against Pakistan, which has been preponed from November 12 to November 11 now means that Jos Buttler and Co. will have to play three matches in the space of six days.
They are scheduled to play rivals Australia on November 4, qualifiers finalists the Netherlands on November 8, and then travel to Kolkata to face Pakistan to bring their World Cup league stage campaign to an end.
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