The 2019 Cricket World Cup warm-up fixtures have been finalized, and India will play two warm-up matches and so will all the ten teams who will be participating in the mega event. Pakistan will be playing two warm-up matches against Afghanistan and England.
To start from May 24
All the warm-up matches will be held between May 24, 2019, and May 28, 2019. The warm-up matches will be held at four venues which also figures as CWC19 Tournament Venues.
These are The Oval, Bristol County Ground, Hampshire Bowl, and Cardiff Wales Stadium. India will take on New Zealand on May 25 at The Oval while it takes on Bangladesh on May 28 at the Cardiff Wales Stadium.
India has a packed schedule
India has a packed schedule before the World Cup, and it includes six ODI after the end of its ongoing New Zealand. The six ODIs are to be played against Australia in India.
The warm-up matches will be a 50-over match but will not be officially designated as an ODI, and the team can field all the players of the 15-member squad. India will be playing its first official match against South Africa on June 5 at The Rose Bowl in Southampton.
EXCLUSIVE: Warm-up fixtures to be played between 24-28 May 2019 ahead of ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 pic.twitter.com/8TTchBHLUw
— sportsinfo.lk (@sportsinfolk) January 31, 2019
Sarfraz Ahmed to lead Pakistani team
Meanwhile, the PCB has announced Sarfraz Ahmad as the skipper of the nation’s cricket team for the forthcoming World Cup.
It must be remembered that the former skipper of the team is presently serving a four-match ban after a racist outburst against South Africa's Andile Phehlukwayo in an ODI match in South Africa.
Details of the warm-up fixtures -
Cardiff Wales Stadium will host three matches:
May 24: Sri Lanka vs South Africa, May 24: Afghanistan vs Pakistan and May 28: India vs Bangladesh.
Bristol County Ground will host three matches - May 24: Pakistan vs Afghanistan, May 26: South Africa vs West Indies, and May 28: West Indies vs New Zealand.
The Oval will host two matches - May 25: India vs New Zealand, and May 27: England vs Afghanistan
Hampshire Bowl will host two matches - May 25: England V Australia and May 27: Australia will play Sri Lanka.
Round Robin format this time
2019 Cricket World Cup starts on May 20th and will continue till its culmination as the Final which will be played on July 14. Each team will have to play all the other teams, and this format is known as Round Robin Format.
This format is being introduced as compared to the past where the teams were divided into groups with the winner of each group playing the other group winners in the semifinals.
