MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 23: Arshdeep Singh of India is congratulated by team mates after getting the wicket of Babar Azam of Pakistan during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup match between India and Pakistan at Melbourne Cricket Ground on October 23, 2022 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
With the ODI World Cup set to commence on the 5th of October later this year across ten venues in India, Zero Wicket takes a closer look at the recently announced fixture list and shortlists five of the biggest clashes you need to tune in for.
The last time these two powerhouses met in the 50-over World Cup, fans worldwide witnessed one of the greatest WC finals in cricketing history. A game that was enforced into a super over with two run-outs of the last two balls, and England being declared champions because of a superior boundary count post a tied super over.
Arguably there are barely any other matchups greater than this one to start a huge world cup for the countries involved. England will look to start effectively in a bid to retain the cup but the Kiwis will look for a dominating win as redemption for losing by the barest of margins the last time around.
New Zealand pip England in their head-to-head records in ODI's with the Kiwis being victorious in 43 of the 91 clashes. The prestigious Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad which can hold up to 130,000 fans will host the 92nd 50-over clash between England and New Zealand, who do you think will emerge victorious?
Two teams packed with superstars and a historic bitter rivalry always makes India vs Australia a must-see cricketing battle. This time they face off at the M.A Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, a venue where spinners have dominated in recent history. One might believe this makes India clear favorites due to a higher quality spin-bowling contingent, however, Australia have an 83 percent record in ODI's having won 5 out of the 6 games they have played in Chennai.
In the 50-over format, Australia have emerged victorious in 27 more games than India, winning 32 of their 82 victories on Indian soil. Statistically, Australia goes into this game having the upper hand, having also won the recently concluded 3-match series in India earlier this year. In the first game of the world cup for either side, India will look to start off with a couple of points in a bid to recreate a home world cup win like that of 2011, whereas Australia will have their eyes on their next ICC trophy after their World Test Championship glory.
To many, 'the match' of the group stages, a high-voltage encounter between fierce rivals India and Pakistan is set to take place in front 130,000 fans come the 15th of October. The last time the two countries met on a cricket field saw Virat Kohli carrying India over the line in a nail-biting thriller at the Melbourne Cricket Ground during the T20 World Cup.
In the 50-over format, Pakistan have defeated India 73 times, 19 of those victories having come on Indian soil. However, since 2010, India have won 10 of the 14 ODI's played between the two countries. This game, in particular, has a number of like-for-like matchups among the probable players making it an even more thrilling clash on a stage where the whole world will tune in, who will prove superior this time around?
Widely regarded as the biggest rivalry in the history of the sport, the locals of Ahmedabad get to witness another huge game at the Narendra Modi Stadium. The most recent white-ball ICC champions England, will look to succeed in the longer white-ball format and hold both the T20 World Cup and the ODI world cup. Both countries field teams that bat deep and will be a fascinating watch despite it being in the later stages of the tournament.
In neutral venues, England have won just two games in comparison to Australia's six triumphs. The last time the countries clashed in an ODI series, Australia dominated with a comprehensive sweep of the visitors. England have developed to become an extremely aggressive team across all formats with the ability to maintain a high run rate throughout the innings, it will be interesting to see whether they will continue to adopt the aggressive mindset on the Indian pitches. Australia will continue to play how they always have with the intention of establishing dominance from ball one.
A repeat of the T20 World Cup final will be played at Eden Gardens come the last day of the group stages of the ODI world cup. Two sides who will look to finish off on a high, with the hopes of qualification already secured as it would be an extremely competitive decider in the alternate case, many cricketing experts across the world have tipped this game to be momentous as both countries are amongst the crop of favourites to emerge World Cup winners.
Pakistan will look to redeem their disappointing efforts in the T20 WC final, the closest they had come to lifting an ICC trophy in recent history. A young England side will look to blow past this determined Pakistani outfit. In terms of competing in ODI cricket at neutral venues, England have bettered Pakistani efforts by more than double having won 14 clashes compared to the latter's six.