New Delhi
The International Cricket Council on Thursday confirmed the full schedule of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, which will be staged in England and Wales from May 30 to July 14.
England will open the tournament at The Oval on May 30 when they will take on South Africa, while Australia will launch their title defence on June 1 against the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier champions Afghanistan in a day/night match in Bristol.
India, the 1983 and 2011 world champions, will play their first match on June 5 against South Africa at the Hampshire Bowl in Southampton. Their feature match against archrivals Pakistan will be on June 16 at Old Trafford in Manchester.
The World Cup will span 48 matches in all, of which 45 will make up the group stage. Each team will play nine group stage matches, and the top four will progress to the semifinals, similar to how the 1992 World Cup was held. The opening match will take place at The Oval on Thursday, May 30th with a thrilling match between England vs South Africa and the World Cup final will be at Lord’s on Sunday, July 14th.
