The ICC World Cup 2023 schedule was unveiled last week, and cricket enthusiasts are eagerly anticipating this mega event hosted by India. Among the participating teams, South Africa, often referred to as the “Proteas,” is gearing up for their campaign with their opening clash against Qualifier 2 in Delhi, scheduled for October 7. The tournament promises to be a cricketing extravaganza, spanning from October 5 to November 19 and featuring matches across ten stadiums in India. The iconic Ahmedabad stadium will host both the tournament opener and the grand final, with the two semi-finals set to take place in Mumbai and Kolkata. Alongside Ahmedabad, host cities include Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Dharamsala, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, and Pune. Each venue is slated to host five games, except for Hyderabad.
The Proteas have had their share of highs and lows in ICC World Cups. They reached the semi-finals in 1999 and 2015 but faced heartbreak by losing to Australia and New Zealand, respectively, in those crucial matches. South Africa is one of the three teams among the top 8 ICC-ranked sides that has never reached a World Cup final.
As they prepare for the ICC World Cup 2023, South Africa is in a phase of transition following the retirements of cricketing stalwarts like AB De Villiers, Faf du Plessis, and Hashim Amla. The captaincy role in white-ball cricket has been fluid, often changing based on the opposition. Faf du Plessis led the side in the last World Cup in England, and it remains to be seen who will take the helm in this campaign.
The ICC World Cup 2023 format will follow a round-robin structure, where the top teams will face each other once in the league stage. The top four teams from the league stage will advance to the playoffs, with the top two battling for supremacy in the final. This format mirrors the one used in the 2019 World Cup.
South Africa’s recent track record in ICC tournaments has been less than stellar. They suffered a league-stage exit in the last edition of the World Cup and managed to secure their spot in this year’s World Cup based on the Super League points table.
The Proteas kickstart their World Cup journey on October 7 in Delhi with a match against Sri Lanka. Over the course of the tournament, they will play nine league games, concluding with a fixture against Afghanistan on November 10 in Ahmedabad. South Africa’s matches will be held at eight different venues during the league stage.
Here is the complete World Cup schedule for South Africa:
South Africa’s ICC World Cup 2023: Schedule
– October 7: South Africa vs. Sri Lanka (4th Match) at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi (2:00 PM IST)
– October 12: Australia vs. South Africa (10th Match) at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow (2:00 PM IST)
– October 17: South Africa vs. Netherlands (15th Match) at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala (2:00 PM IST)
– October 21: England vs. South Africa (20th Match) at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai (2:00 PM IST)
– October 24 South Africa vs. Bangladesh (23rd Match) at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai (2:00 PM IST)
– October 27: Pakistan vs. South Africa (26th Match) at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai (2:00 PM IST)
– November 1: New Zealand vs. South Africa (32nd Match) at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune (2:00 PM IST)
– November 5: India vs. South Africa (37th Match) at Eden Gardens, Kolkata (2:00 PM IST)
– November 10: South Africa vs. Afghanistan (42nd Match) at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad (2:00 PM IST)
South Africa’s ICC World Cup 2023: Squad
– Temba Bavuma (c)
– Gerald Coetzee
– Quinton de Kock
– Reeza Hendricks
– Marco Jansen
– Heinrich Klaasen
– Sisanda Magala
– Keshav Maharaj
– Aiden Markram
– David Miller
– Lungi Ngidi
– Anrich Nortje
– Kagiso Rabada
– Tabraiz Shamsi
– Rassie van der Dussen
