As expected, the high-octane World Cup clash between India and Pakistan has been advanced by a day to October 14 at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, ICC said on Wednesday. The schedule of eight other matches have also been changed.
The match was originally slated to take place on October 15 at the same venue but now will be played a day before.
The change in the schedule came after Ahmedabad Police reportedly had told the BCCI that it would be difficult for it to take care of security on October 15 which happens to be the first day of the Hindu festival of Navratri.
As a result, England’s fixture against Afghanistan in Delhi will be moved from October 14 and will now be played 24 hours later on October 15.
Pakistan’s contest against Sri Lanka in Hyderabad has moved from October 12 to now being played on October 10 and Australia’s big match against South Africa in Lucknow moved back 24 hours and will now be played on October 12 instead of October 13.
Similarly, New Zealand’s game against Bangladesh originally scheduled as a day match for October 14 in Chennai has been moved back and will now be held on October 13 and be played as a day-night contest.
From the initial phase of the tournament, a minor change to the fixture refers to the timing of England’s match-up against Bangladesh in Dharamsala, with the clash becoming a day match and a 10:30AM (local time) start after it was originally scheduled as a day-night fixture.
Towards the end of the league stage, there are three changes with the double-header encounters of Sunday, November 12 being moved a day earlier to November 11 – Australia vs Pakistan in Pune (10:30AM) and England vs Pakistan in Kolkata (02:00PM).
Meanwhile, India’s last league game against the Netherlands has now been shifted from 11 to November 12, a day-night clash to be played in Bengaluru.
The World Cup commences on Thursday, 5 October when 2019 finalists England and New Zealand clash at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, with the event culminating in the final at the same venue on Sunday, 19 November.
