BCCI, thank you for embarking on fixing stadiums, but the schedule mess is a cruel joke

69 days to go for the 2023 ICC Men’s ODI World Cup but we are still not sure of the schedule for the mega event which will be hosted in India from 5 October.

The World Cup schedule, so to stay, was revealed on 27 June, barely three months before the biggest tournament in world cricket after an agonising wait. And now that announcement has been turned into a cruel joke on the fans.

On Thursday, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah announced that further changes will be made to the schedule, barely two months before the World Cup, because a few ICC Full Member nations have objected to it.

The whole schedule mess is in complete contrast to how things were when the World Cup was hosted four years back in England and Wales.

The schedule for the 2019 World Cup was announced on 26 April 2018, a year before the mega event started on 30 May 2019.

Now, let’s make another comparison. The tickets for the 2019 World Cup were confirmed by September 2018, eight months before the showpiece contest.

Less than 70 days from the start of the World Cup, we still await the schedule – leave alone tickets.

For the last men’s ODI WC, which started on 30 May 2019, the ballot opened on 1 Aug 2018 – and tickets were confirmed by Sep… 8+ months in advance.

State of affairs.#CWC23

— Yash Jha (@jhayash) July 28, 2023

What about the tickets for the 2023 World Cup?

According to Shah, the ticket sales announcement will be made next week.

If you are a working professional and want to watch a few World Cup games across India, good luck with that. If the schedule is still not out with just over two months to go for the tournament, only God knows how would you be able to take leaves and make travel arrangements.

That travel arrangement part potentially becoming a nightmare is going to be true for all the fans; working or non-working, local or foreign. From the foreign fans’ point of view especially, the painful delay in schedule and ticket sale announcement is an unwelcoming message.

Jay Shah refused to reveal which members have raised objections over the schedule and also shot down the suggestion that changes are being required because the India vs Pakistan game on 15 October in Ahmebdabd clashes with the start of Navratri and security agencies have advised against it.

“Two-three ICC Full Member nations have raised objections regarding the schedule. The teams which have six-day gaps will be reduced and the teams which have two-day gaps will be increased,” Shah said.

“If security was an issue then why would the match go there (to Ahmedabad)? [October] 14-15 is not the problem,” he added.

Any changes to India vs Pakistan match date would make it clear if the 15 October game is a problem or not, but even if it isn’t, the sheer recklessness and poor planning in making the schedule can’t be forgiven.

2 months and 1 week to go to the @ICC world cup, and the schedule is still not finalised by the @BCCI.

My son’s second grade school sports day schedule was announced 3 months in advance so that parents could make time on their calendars to be there… https://t.co/eWnaooPBkP

— Nitin Sundar