World Cup In-Depth Report, Part 1

For the First Time in the T20 World Cup: Tournament in the USA, 8 Matches in Temporary Stadium, and 6 New Features

The 2023 ODI World Cup featured a match in Chennai between Pakistan and South Africa. Pakistan batted first and scored 270 runs. South Africa, at one point, was at 200 for 4 wickets. Then, Pakistani captain Babar Azam deliberately slowed the game to break the South African batsmen's momentum. His tactic worked, reducing South Africa to 260 for 9. However, South Africa still managed to win the match. If the new T20 World Cup 'stop clock' rule had been in place, Pakistan would have lost much earlier due to a 5-run penalty for slow over rates.

Starting on June 2, the T20 World Cup will be hosted in the USA and the West Indies. Here are six unique aspects of this tournament:

1.   Joint Hosting by Two Boards For the first time, the T20 World Cup will be hosted by two cricket boards: the West Indies Cricket Association and the USA Cricket Association. Previously, all eight editions were hosted by a single board.

 

2.      USA Hosting an ICC Event The USA will host an ICC event for the first time. The USA, which will also host the Olympics in 2028, where cricket will be included, becomes the second Associate Member nation to host the T20 World Cup, following the UAE in 2021. Although the UAE hosted, the event was organized by India, as the BCCI held the hosting rights.

 

 

3.      Twenty teams are competing. For the first time, 20 teams will participate in the T20 World Cup. The teams are divided into four groups of five. The top two teams from each group will advance to the Super 8 stage, which will have two groups. The semi-finals will feature the top two teams from each Super 8 group, culminating in the final on June 29th in Barbados. Three teams will make their World Cup debuts: Canada, Uganda, and the USA.

 

4.      Foreign-Made Pitches At Nassau County Stadium in New York, drop-in pitches, made in Australia, will be used. These pitches were transported by sea to Florida in January and installed at the stadium in May. This is the first time World Cup pitches have been made in a different country.

 

 

5.      Modular Stadium New York had an international cricket stadium in December 2023. Over the past six months, a modular stadium has been constructed with stands from Formula 1 competitions. This stadium, which can seat 34,000 spectators, will host eight group-stage matches, including the India-Pakistan clash. Post-tournament, it will be converted into a park.

 

6.      Stop Clock Rule: The stop-clock rule will be implemented for the first time in an ICC tournament. The bowling team will have only 60 seconds between overs. The third umpire will start a timer on the stadium screen. Exceeding the time limit will result in warnings and, upon the third breach, a 5-run penalty added to the batting team’s score. This rule was trialled last December and has now been made permanent.

Graphics by Kunal Sharma Sketch by Sandeep Pal Cameraman: Dilip Choukse

 

In Part 2 of the World Cup In-Depth Report, read about: What is a Modular Ground? The India-Pakistan Match Venue: Pitch made in Florida, Formula 1 stands installed.

The T20 World Cup starts on June 2 in the USA and the West Indies. On May 21, Usain Bolt inaugurated this temporary stadium in New York, which features pitches made in Australia and spectator stands from Formula 1. This venue will host the India-Pakistan match and seven other World Cup matches.

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