West Indies Cricket Fans Forum
England begin 2019 cricket World Cup quest against South Africa
(REUTERS) – Hosts England will begin their quest for a maiden 50-overs World Cup title against perennial under-achievers South Africa on May 30 next year with Lord’s staging the final on July 14, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced yesterday.
One-day cricket’s most coveted trophy has eluded three-time finalists England who staged the first three World Cups between 1975 and 1983 and also in 1999.
England could not advance beyond the group stage of the 2015 edition but have since grown into a formidable ODI outfit, rekindling hopes of breaking their World Cup duck on home soil.
They begin against a South Africa side who have never been beyond the semi-finals.
Ashes rivals Australia, currently recovering from a ball-tampering scandal, will begin their title defence against plucky qualifiers Afghanistan on June 1 at Bristol.
Cricket Australia is searching for a new one-day captain after slapping 12-month bans on former skipper Steve Smith and his deputy David Warner following last month’s fiasco in South Africa.
While both will be free to play in the tournament, Smith has also been barred from captaincy for two years, while Warner will not be considered for any leadership role again.
Old Trafford will host the 10-team tournament’s most-anticipated match on June 16 between Asian arch-rivals India and Pakistan.
The collapse of bilateral cricket between the bitter South Asian neighbours means their fans can only watch them in ICC events.
“Because of the UK’s diverse population, every competing team will also be guaranteed a ‘home crowd’ every time they play at some of the most iconic cricket grounds in the world,” the tournament’s managing director Steve Elworthy said in a statement.
“The Cricket World Cup is the third most watched global event and has huge interest and appeal among cricket fans. Our ambition is to grow the game and deliver the greatest ever cricket celebration …,” he added.
The 46-day tournament will be played across 11 venues in England and Wales with Manchester’s Old Trafford venue hosting six matches.
The tournament will follow its 1992 format with all 10 teams playing each other in the round-robin league to determine the four teams who will advance to the semi-finals at Old Trafford and Edgbaston.
Lord’s will host a World Cup final for the fifth time.
“We know from previous ICC events that every country will be proudly supported at each of the venues creating an exceptional atmosphere and a real celebration of the game,” ICC chief executive Dave Richardson said.
When you subscribe to the blog, we will send you an e-mail when there are new updates on the site so you wouldn't miss them.
About the author
Guyana Diaspora Forum
We have a large database of Guyanese worldwide. Most of our readers are in the USA, Canada, and the UK. Our Blog and Newsletter would not only carry articles and videos on Guyana, but also other articles on a wide range of subjects that may be of interest to our readers in over 200 countries, many of them non-Guyanese We hope that you like our selections.
It is estimated that over one million Guyanese, when counting their dependents, live outside of Guyana. This exceeds the population of Guyana, which is now about 750,000. Many left early in the 50’s and 60’s while others went with the next wave in the 70’s and 80’s. The latest wave left over the last 20 years. This outflow of Guyanese, therefore, covers some three generations. This outflow still continues today, where over 80 % of U.G. graduates now leave after graduating. We hope this changes, and soon.
Guyanese, like most others, try to keep their culture and pass it on to their children and grandchildren. The problem has been that many Guyanese have not looked back, or if they did it was only fleetingly. This means that the younger generations and those who left at an early age know very little about Guyana since many have not visited the country. Also, if they do get information about Guyana, it is usually negative and thus the cycle of non-interest is cultivated.
This Guyana Diaspora Online Forum , along with its monthly newsletter, aims at bringing Guyanese together to support positive news, increase travel and tourism in Guyana and, in general, foster the birth of a new Guyana, which has already begun notwithstanding the negative news that grabs the headlines. As the editor and manager of the publication, I am committed to delivering Blog entries and Newsletters that are politically balanced, and focused on the positive ideas we wish to share and foster among Guyanese.
| ||||
