Online Desk: The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 is set to get underway tomorrow with a repeat of the 2019 final between New Zealand and England in Ahmedabad at the Narendra Modi Stadium. This will be the 13th edition of the mega event, and only the second time in history that the hosts will not be playing on the opening day. India will feature for the first time in the fifth match of the tournament when they play five-time World Champions Australia at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on October 8.

For the first time, cricketing powerhouse and two-time World Champions India will be hosting the event solely, with the matches set to be played in 10 different venues. India, however, have the most hectic travelling schedule for the tournament as they are the only side to play at nine different venues.  India co-hosted the World Cup with Pakistan in 1987, with Pakistan and Sri Lanka in 1996, and with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in 2011.

Interestingly, the last and the only other time that none of the hosts played on the opening day was in the 1996 edition, hosted jointly by India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. That time the World Cup opener was played between England and New Zealand in Ahmedabad. In fact, co-host Sri Lanka were scheduled to play their first game on the third matchday but they were given a walkover by Australia in Colombo as the Aussies refused to travel to the Island nation over security concerns. The only time that India played the opening game of the World Cup as co-hosts was in 2011 when they faced Bangladesh in Mirpur.

In 1992, both co-hosts Australia and New Zealand faced each other in the opening game in Auckland. Australia and New Zealand jointly hosted the mega event in 2015 as well, and were in action on the opening day, albeit against different oppositions.  In 1999, defending champions Sri Lanka played hosts England in the first match.