The ongoing World Cup tournament started on 5th October, 2023 and so far, it has been an event of staggering performances to remember. Ever since the schedule & fixtures were announced, hardcore cricketing fanatics have been glued to their screens; following up on all the recent updates, match schedules, and whatnot.

1. Preparations And Strategies Of Different
Cricket Teams Participating In World Cup 2023
The ongoing World Cup tournament started on 5th October, 2023 and so far, it has been an
event of staggering performances to remember. Ever since the schedule & fixtures were
announced, hardcore cricketing fanatics have been glued to their screens; following up on all
the recent updates, match schedules, and whatnot.
India is riding solo as the host for the 13th reason and so far, has successfully hosted 23
matches, out of 48. This year, a total of 10 teams are representing their country in the ICC's
biggest event of the year, which are India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Netherlands,
Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and England. The final showdown will be
held at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, on 17th November 2023.
Before the World Cup matches began, all participating teams took part in a series of
matches to help them prepare for the mega event. And currently, their performances and the
position at the points table speak for themselves. Let's know more in detail about how each
team is doing at the ongoing ICC World Cup tournament.
The Current Status Of Every Qualifying Team For CWC 2023
The 2023 edition is shaping up to be one of the best World Cup tournaments so far. With 10
well-deserving teams vying to hold this year's shiny trophy, the anticipation to see which
team will emerge as the ultimate winners is making fans and players keyed up!
Talking about strategies and the preparation tactics for the tournament, the handling of the
pitch conditions in India is definitely what the rest of the nine teams kept in mind before
preparing for the tournament. Since the matches are being played across 10 diverse
locations in India, our country's climate and geographical tendencies are other factors that
were considered.
A mix of skill sets & planning, physical & mental ability to handle pressure, while choosing
the players who will be best suitable to play under the conditions, were considered before
making all the final calls. Let's see how all these factors played for each team individually,
since we are halfway across the tournament.

2. Australia
The Aussies played their first match against the hosts, India, on 8th October at the MA
Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. They got all out at 49.3 overs while presenting Men in Blue
with a total of 200 runs which India surpassed in 41.2 overs.
The 5-time title holders played their second match against South Africa on 12th October. The
South African team scored an impressive 311 runs off 50 overs, while the Australian team
registered another loss by getting all out at 40.5 overs with 177 runs, while chasing a target
of 311 runs.
Their luck turned around in the third match when they won by 5 wickets against Sri Lanka,
who scored 209 runs in 43.3 overs and the Aussies scored 35.2 overs. Continuing their
winning streak, they defeated Pakistan by 62 runs as India's arch-rivals failed to match
Australia's score of 397 runs!
Despite a rocky start to the tournament, the Aussies are proving why they are indeed the
team to look out for. Currently, they are placed at number 4 on the points table and we are
rooting for them to move one rank up!
Australia’s 15-member squad boasts supersonic players such as David Warner and Adam
Zampa, who are proving their worth with every game! With a middle-order line-up like
Australia's, we are hoping to see the team make it all the way to the finals!
India
The hosts of the CWC 2023 are killing it with their astounding performances in the
tournament so far. With 0 match loss to their name, Men in Blue have won all 5 matches
they have played. Impressive strategies, a better understanding of the pitch situations,
talented players mixed with a little bit of sheer luck- whatever Team India is doing, it is
working!
They made their 2023 World Cup debut against Australia who surprisingly got all out at 199
runs. India claimed their victory by scoring 201 runs in 41.2 overs.

3. Next, India faced their neighbouring nation, Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi.
Afghanistan's subpar performance led them to score only 272 runs off 50 overs which Men in
Blue easily surpassed with 15 overs to spare!
Perhaps the most important and talked about match of the series- the IND vs PAK match,
was held on 14th November at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. Pakistan chose to
bat first and their average performance resulted in them getting all out at 42.5 overs, not
before presenting India with a target of 191 runs. India scored 192 runs in just 30.3 overs,
adding another historic win to their name!
Next, India played against Bangladesh who scored 256 runs in 50 overs, which India
registered in 41.3 overs. The nail-biting IND Vs. The NZ match was a close-call match, with
India winning yet again. The Kiwis presented a target of 274 runs which Men in Blue
achieved with 12 balls to spare!
India will face last edition's winners, England on 29th October and we cannot wait to see
which team wins.
India’s Virat Kohli is again the breakout star of the tournament, who has already smashed 1
century so far in the 5 games, and one where he missed out on scoring his well-deserved
century by just 5 runs, and is scoring well constantly. India’s captain, Rohit Sharma is
proving why he deserves to be mentoring and guiding Men in Blue. He racked up 86 runs in
a match against Pakistan, which definitely helped the team win 8-0 against their arch-rivals,
in the World Cup.
England
The world witnessed a replay of the 2019 World Cup finals as the inaugural match was held
between England and New Zealand. Unlike the finale, New Zealand won the match time by
defeating the defending champions by 9 wickets; England scored 282 runs in 50 overs which
the Kiwis outmatched in 36.2 overs.
Next, England faced Bangladesh on 10th October at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket
Association Stadium, Dharamsala. England amassed 364 runs in 50 overs while Bangladesh
got all out in 48.2 overs, scoring only 227 runs.

4. England faced Afghanistan next. Afghanistan scored 284 runs, before getting all out, with
just one ball left. England on the other hand, also got all out at 40.3 overs and sadly, didn't
even come close to Afghanistan's tally with 215 runs.
England faced yet another blow after losing a match to South Africa, who won by a
whopping 229 runs, after England got all out, yet again, at 22 overs. Currently, England is
placed at third last position on the points table.
Pakistan
Men in Green played their first match against Netherlands, the surprising new entry at the
World Cup tournament this year. Pakistan claimed their first win as they won by 81 runs;
Pakistan scored 286 runs while Netherlands scored 205!
Next, Pakistan played a match against Sri Lanka at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium,
Hyderabad. This close match concluded with Pakistan winning by 6 wickets; Sri Lanka
scored 344 runs in 50 overs while Pakistan smashed 345 runs in 48.2 overs.
Pakistan faced one of the most brutal losses on 14th October, that too at the hands of their
ultimate arch-rivals, India. Men in Blue won by 7 wickets after dismissing all their batters in
42.5 overs, which collectively scored 191 runs. India easily beat them in 30.3 overs!
Next, Men in Green faced the Aussies at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. Pakistan
lost the match again by 62 runs as they got run out at 45.3 overs, scoring 305 runs.
Pakistan played their most recent match against Afghanistan, which they again lost.
Pakistan presented the opposing team with a target of 283 runs which they achieved with 6
balls remaining.
Pakistan is currently placed at number 5 in the points table. To qualify for the Semi-Finals,
they need to win all their upcoming matches! Because it can lead to the world witnessing
another historic India Vs. Pakistan match!!!

5. Bangladesh
Bangladesh, who has won just one World Cup match till now, is at the bottom of the points
table due to a string of poor performances.
They played their first World Cup match against Afghanistan at the Himachal Pradesh
Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala. Bangladesh won the match by 6 wickets. But
unfortunately, things went downhill from there as this short-lived victory was followed by 4
consecutive losses.
Bangladesh faced England on 10th October, with the match being won by England, by 137
runs. Next, Bangladesh faced the Kiwis who surpassed their grand total of 245 runs in 42.5
overs.
Bangladesh faced the hosts, India, on 19th October at the Maharashtra Cricket Association
Stadium, Pune. India won by 7 wickets as they took over Bangladesh's score of 256 runs
and made 261 runs in 41.3 overs.
The latest match played by Bangladesh wasn't any different as they managed to score only
233 runs, and got all out, against South Africa's impressive 382 runs!
Bangladesh will face the World Cup newbies, Netherlands, in the next match and we hope
they win this one!
South Africa
After India, it's the South African team that is taking the World Cup tournament by storm.
With 4 out of 5 wins in hand, everyone is wondering if they will finally win this is the year
when they will finally win a World Cup tournament after being semi-finalists in 1992, 1999,
2007, and 2015.
South Africa started their World Cup journey super strong by winning the first match against
Sri Lanka by 102 runs. They smashed an impressive 428 runs- making it the highest score in
the ongoing tournament. Even though Sri Lanka scored 326 runs, the high score didn't stand
a chance against South Africa's mega score, plus they got all out at 44.5 runs!

6. Next, the South Africa team faced the ultimate World Cup multi-winners, Australia at the
Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow.
Surprisingly, the Aussies made only 177 runs and got all out at 40.5 overs, while South
Africa won by a great margin, again; 134 runs!
To everyone's surprise, South Africa had their first (and only) loss currently at the 2023
edition at the hands of this year's surprise entry, Netherlands! The match consisted of 43
overs, as opposed to the usual ODI format where Netherlands smashed 245 runs, while
South Africa scored just 207 runs! You might not be aware of the fact that the Proteas team
has a bad record against the Dutch team as they have also lost in the 2022 T-20 World Cup.
South Africa's match against the current defending champions, England, was the one to
watch! There was a surprisingly large run difference between the two participating countries
with South Africa scoring 399 runs and England managing to score 170 runs before getting
all out at 22 overs!
Next, they faced Bangladesh at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai. South Africa
presented the opposing team with a target of 383 runs in 50 overs. Bangladesh got all out at
46.4 overs, but not before scoring 233 runs.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan too has played 5 matches in the current World Cup tournament, winning two of
them.
First, they faced Bangladesh at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium,
Dharamsala, where they encountered their first loss. Despite both teams' explosive bowling
tactics as they managed to all out each other, Afghanistan scored 156 runs in 37.2 overs
while Bangladesh won by 6 wickets as they scored 158 runs in 34. 4 overs.
Afghanistan lost their second match in a row to India who achieved their target of 273 runs
with 15 overs to spare!
Afghanistan was having no intentions to create a losing hattrick when they faced England in
their third match. After getting all out at 49.5 overs, they scored 284 runs, which England
failed to match as they got all out at 40.3 overs and scored 215 runs.

7. Afghanistan faced the Kiwis in the next match where they were met with another
disappointing outcome. They got all out at 34.4 runs and made only 139 runs,while chasing
ahuge total of 288 runs as opposed to New Zealand's grand total of 288 runs.
Afghanistan played their latest, and a close call match, against Men in Green on 23rd
October. Pakistan scored 282 runs in 50 overs while Afghanistan won their second match by
8 wickets, with 6 balls to spare!
New Zealand
The Kiwis aka New Zealand's cricket team is currently placed at number 3 on the points
table and most likely, will prosecute towards the Semi-Finals if they keep up with their good
performances.
We all felt the 2019 deja vu when the inaugural match was held between New Zealand and
England, last edition's finalists. New Zealand won the first match by 9 wickets after scoring
283 runs in 36.2 overs as opposed to England's score of 282 runs.
New Zealand vs. The Netherlands match resulted in New Zealand winning by an almost
century mark (99 runs) as Netherlands failed to achieve the Kiwis's target of 323 runs.
New Zealand's winning streak continued when they faced Bangladesh for the 11th World
Cup match. Winning by 8 wickets, the Kiwis successfully surpassed Bangladesh's score of
245 runs in 42.5 overs!
Adding another win to their record, New Zealand won by 149 runs against Afghanistan who
scored 139 runs before getting all out at 34.4 runs.
New Zealand played their latest match against the hosts, India, who is yet to lose a World
Cup match! New Zealand scored 273 runs in 50 overs, while Men in Blue hit the bull's eye at
40 overs easily!
Sri Lanka
The 1996 World Cup champions, Sri Lanka has played 4 matches so far in the 2023 edition
and won 1 so far.
They played their first match against South Africa, which they lost terribly by 102 runs. South
Africa smashed 428 runs- the highest running score at the moment for the 13th edition. Sri
Lanka, despite putting up a good fight, scored 326 runs and therefore lost the match.

8. Next, the Lions faced Men in Green where they were met with another loss. Sri Lanka
racked up 344 runs for the Pakistani team to chase, which they did- in 48.2 overs!
The Aussies were the next team faced, who bowled the Sri Lankan cricket team at 43.3
overs, not before they scored 209 runs. The Australian team scored 215 runs easily in 35.2
overs.
Sri Lanka broke their losing streak by claiming their win against Netherlands, who scored
262 runs in 49.4 overs and lost by 5 wickets as the opposing team tallied the score in 48.2
overs.
Netherlands
An associate team, Netherlands, surprised cricket fans everywhere when they beat
established teams such as West Indies & Zimbabwe to qualify for the 2023 World Cup
tournament.
They made their World Cup debut against Pakistan on 6th October at the Rajiv Gandhi
International Stadium, Hyderabad. The team lost their first match by 81 runs as Pakistan
scored 286 runs in 49 overs, while Netherlands scored 205 runs in 41 overs.
The Netherland's team was met by the Kiwis' wrath next, who won the match by 99 runs.
The final scorecard read as follows; New Zealand: 322/7 (50) and Netherlands: 223 (46.3).
In a unique turn of events, both Netherlands and the South African team played a match with
43 overs each. To everyone's surprise, Netherlands won this time by 38 runs; South Africa
scored 207 runs in 42.5 overs while Netherlands scored 245 runs!
Next, Netherlands faced the Lions who won by 5 wickets. Netherlands scored 262 runs
before getting all out at 49.4 overs. The Sri Lankan team took it slow and steadily before
registering another win by scoring 263 runs in 28.2 overs.
Netherland's most embarrassing loss came at the hands of the Aussies. The Australian team
racked up an impressive 399 runs off 300 balls, while Netherlands's team got dismissed at
21 overs, before scoring just 90 runs. The 309 runs difference is the highest one so far in the
competition. This loss also made Netherlands drop to the last position at the points table.

9. Netherland's entry as one of the top 10 qualifying teams proves that with determination,
anything is possible. We hope to see them in the 2027 edition again, with a different & better
strategy in mind.