ICC to publish World Cup 2023 schedule after consultation with participating teams, broadcasters

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is yet to announce the complete fixtures of the World Cup 2023, which is less than four months away.

Although the tentative dates for the World Cup are out — October 5 to November 19 — there is no official confirmation of the fixtures and venues for the 13th edition of the prestigious tournament yet.

According to an ESPNcricinfo report, the ICC announced the schedule of the previous two World Cup editions at least a year prior to the marquee events.

The 2019 World Cup schedule was announced on April 26, 2018, 13 months before the start of the event in England and Wales. The schedule for the 2015 edition, which was jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand, was released on July 30, 2013, 18 months prior to the first match.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is the host for the World Cup 2023. BCCI secretary Jay Shah recently said that the schedule for the World Cup will be unveiled during the World Test Championship final (June 7-June 11).

However, former player and ICC CEO Geoff Allardice said there will be consultations with multiple parties once they receive the schedule from the hosts (BCCI). Allardice told BBC's Test Match Special:

"I think even today (Wednesday), we might be receiving the schedule from the hosts, and we've just got a bit of consultation to do with all the participating teams and the broadcasters. Then we'll be publishing that as soon as we possibly can. When we put on events, we very much work hand in hand with the hosts."

The ICC chief executive added:

"And in some places, there's a lot of consultation that needs to take place, both within the cricket system and with governments, etc. There's a lot of responsibility on a host to deliver a good event, and they've got to go through the right checks and balances."

Which teams will play in the World Cup 2023?

India, Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, New Zealand, Pakistan, and South Africa have earned direct qualification for the ICC World Cup 2023 on the basis of their World Super League standings.

West Indies, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Ireland, Netherlands, Scotland, Oman, Nepal, USA, and UAE will play the Qualifiers in Zimbabwe from June 18 to July 9.

Zimbabwe, West Indies, Nepal, USA, and Netherlands are paired in Group A. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Scotland, Oman, and UAE will compete in Group B. Finalists of Qualifiers will seal the last two spots of World Cup 2023.