World Cup: The biggest tournament in Cricket - World Cup 2023 has entered the final phase with serious battles going on for the semifinals. With India, South Africa and Australia locking the first three spots, there is room for one more team to sneak through and get a chance to fight for the ultimate cricket glory. New Zealand, Pakistan and Afghanistan stand a chance for that top-four finish now with the other four teams competing for Champions Trophy and a wooden spoon. Notably, amidst tickets for the final set of World Cup 2023 to go on sale, there is still confusion over India's opponent, venue and date of the semifinal.
The Men in Blue are easily placed at number one place in the points table and will be the table toppers no matter what as they have 16 points from 8 games and no one can go even beyond 14. As per the World Cup 2023 format, the number 1 team will play against the fourth-ranked team in the points table but the fourth team is still not confirmed. South Africa and Australia will be second and third-placed teams (depending on who finished above) and will face each other in one of the semifinals. But their date and venue are also not confirmed. This is all due to the last semifinalist not being confirmed until now.
Why no date, venue and opponent is confirmed for India
While South Africa and Australia will play against each other, India are waiting for one among Pakistan, New Zealand or Afghanistan to book the last left spot in the semifinals. If New Zealand or Afghanistan come up against India in the last four clash, the Men in Blue will play at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on November 15. Whereas if Pakistan make their way into the semis, then India and Pakistan will be up against each other on November 16 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. While there was no official word on the reason for Pakistan not playing in Mumbai, PCB was earlier vocal about their issues of playing in Mumbai due to security concerns.
The BCCI has announced that the final set of tickets for the semifinals and finals will go live on Thursday at 8 PM. "The tickets for the three marquee games – 1st semi-final (15th November), 2nd semi-final (16th November) and the all-important final on 19th November will go live at 8:00 PM on 9th November on the official ticketing website at https://tickets.cricketworldcup.com/. This will be the last chance for cricket fans wanting to experience the magic and thrill of the World Cup and to witness in person the crowning of a new champion," the Indian Board confirmed on Thursday.
