India is gearing up to stage the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 later this year. Defending champions England will face New Zealand in the tournament opener on October 5 in Ahmedabad.

The top two teams will compete in the final on November 19 at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.

For the ODI World Cup, the ICC has instructed the hosts to create ‘batting-friendly’ pitches to encourage run-scoring.

According to a Hindustan Times report, ICC pitch consultant Andy Atkinson addressed a gathering of all host association curators on Wednesday (August 25) and told them not to come under any external pressure to remove grass from the pitches for specific matches.

“We were told to try and provide a 60-40 pitch conducive to batting,” one curator who attended the meeting quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

The report also mentioned the run-scoring data of the past three ODI World Cups. It was found that the average first innings score in the 2011 World Cup (held in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh) was 249 runs while it went up to 275 and 276 in the 2015 and 2019 editions respectively.

As the numbers have improved over the years, the ICC wants the 2023 World Cup to be a high-scoring spectacle, especially as the 50-over format has lost its charm in recent years.

The report further claimed that the host associations have been asked to ensure no excessive cutting for the ball to travel faster. As for the boundary dimensions, the gathering was told it should be 70 yards and the maximum 80 yards.

As per the report, the venues that don’t have sand-based outfields were told to ensure they had covers in place to cover the entire ground in case of rain. Moreover, a minimum of three centre-wicket pitches should be ready for action on the hosting grounds.

Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai, Lucknow, Dharamsala, Pune and Hyderabad will host matches during the upcoming World Cup.

(With Hindustan Times Inputs)