ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 Trophy tour driven by Nissan begins; Trophy will stay in Islamabad from 6th to 8th October 2018 ……. By ;Asghar Ali Mubarak

ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 Trophy tour driven by Nissan begins; Trophy will stay in Islamabad from 6th to 8th October 2018
By :Asghar Ali Mubarak
The ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy Tour, driven by Nissan, will embark on its most extensive journey around the globe yet, amid growing excitement ahead of the showpiece event in England and Wales from 30 May to 14 July 2019.The ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy journey from the International Cricket Council headquarters in Dubai UAE will travels across five continents, 21 countries and over 60 cities. From October 3rd to 5th, the trophy will be displayed in Lahore. It will stay in Islamabad from 6th to 8th October, whereas, it will remain in Karachi between 9th to 13th October 2018. The “most connected Trophy Tour ever” will allow fans around the world to get up close to the coveted prize that will be lifted at Lord’s Cricket Ground on 14 July, 2019.During the nine-month journey, the Trophy Tour will travel not only to countries taking part in the tournament, but for the first time ever will go beyond traditional cricket heartlands and connect with fans in a further 11 countries where cricket is growing including Nepal, USA and Germany. From the United Arab Emirates, the Trophy will travel to Oman, the USA, the West Indies, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, India, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Kenya, Rwanda, Nigeria, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany before arriving in England and Wales on 19 February, 2019 for a 100-day domestic Trophy Tour. From October 3rd to 5th, the trophy will be displayed in Lahore, 6th to 8th October in Islamabad and will remain in Karachi between 9th to 13th October.
The #CWCTrophyTour” will allow fans around the world to get up close to the coveted prize that will be lifted at Lord’s Cricket Ground on 14 July, 2019.During the nine-month journey, the Trophy Tour will travel not only to countries taking part in the tournament, but for the first time ever will go beyond traditional cricket heartlands and connect with fans in a further 11 countries where cricket is growing including Nepal, USA and Germany. From the United Arab Emirates, the Trophy will travel to Oman, the USA, the West Indies, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, India, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Kenya, Rwanda, Nigeria, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany before arriving in England and Wales on 19 February, 2019 for a 100-day domestic Trophy Tour.
The ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy Tour begins!
The ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy will visit iconic and unusual locations, communities, schools, universities and even people’s homes in a bid to connect people globally in what will be the most unique, and accessible Trophy Tour to date. Fans will be able to take part in a virtual reality cricket zone, have their photo taken with the trophy and feel what it is like to be at the Cricket World Cup, with a unique in-stadia experience, as well as a range of other exciting activities across the Tour.Fans will also be able to connect with its journey on the Trophy Tour section of the ICC website, which includes an interactive map outlining the itinerary with information about each stop. They will also be able to see behind the scenes content and for the first time will be able to follow the journey in real time as it makes its way around the world.
ICC Chief Executive, David Richardson said: “The Trophy Tour is a unique opportunity for fans around the world to be part of the ICC Cricket World Cup and by going to more countries and more cities than ever before we’re giving people more opportunities to be part of this fantastic sporting event.

ICC Cricket World Cup Tournament Director, Steve Elworthy said: “This is a huge moment in time as we countdown to the ICC Cricket World Cup getting underway next summer. The Trophy Tour is a fantastic chance for fans around the world to be part of the event wherever they are.
“For the first six months of the Tour we’ll be bringing the greatest celebration of cricket, the Cricket World Cup, to both existing and emerging cricket countries giving more fans than ever before that unique opportunity to get close to the trophy. Then from February, we’ll embark on a 100 day tour of the UK ahead of one of the world’s biggest sporting events getting under way on home soil in May.”
Global Head of Marketing and Brand Strategy at Nissan, Roel De Vries said: “Just as Nissan’s vehicles provide an exhilarating driving experience to everyone, the ICC Cricket World Cup brings the thrill of world class cricket to fans around the world. So Nissan driving this Trophy Tour is a natural fit. It is a great opportunity to show even more people the joy and driving pleasure that our vehicles offer.”
The ICC Trophy Tour World Map
“Cricket has more than a billion fans and taking the trophy to new markets is a wonderful chance to raise the profile of the game and engage both new and existing fans as they get the rare opportunity to get up close to the trophy.“Our thanks go to Nissan for partnering with us on this ambitious journey that will build excitement around the world as we head towards the Cricket World Cup in England and Wales next summer. The ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 is the 12th edition of the Cricket World Cup, scheduled to be hosted by England and Wales, from 30 May to 14 July 2019. The hosting rights were awarded in April 2006, after England and Wales withdrew from the bidding to host the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup, which was held in Australia and New Zealand. The first match will be played at The Oval while the final will be played at Lord’s. It is the fifth time that the Cricket World Cup will be held in England and Wales, following the 1975, 1979, 1983 and 1999 World Cups. The format for the tournament will be a single group of ten teams, with each team playing the other nine teams, and the top four teams progressing to a knockout stage of semi-finals and a final. The ten team tournament has gained criticism due to the lack of Associate teams in the tournament. Given the increase of the Test playing nations from 10 to 12, with the admission of Ireland and Afghanistan in June 2017, it will be the first World Cup to be contested without all of the Test playing nations being present, and after the elimination of all the Associate teams at the qualifying tournament, this will be also be the first World Cup to feature no Associate members. The 2019 World Cup will feature 10 teams, a decrease from previous World Cups in 2011 and 2015 which featured 14 teams The hosts, England, and the top seven other teams in the ICC One Day International rankings as of 30 September 2017 earned automatic qualification, with the remaining two spots being decided by the 2018 Cricket World Cup Qualifier. At the time of the announcement of the qualification structure, ICC Associate and Affiliate members, who were guaranteed four spots in the previous two World Cup tournaments, could be represented by at most two teams, and possibly none at all if they were beaten by the lowest ranked Full Members in the Qualifier. It also meant that at least two of the 10 Test playing nations at the time of the announcement would have to play in the qualifying tournament, and could possibly miss the World Cup finals entirely. Following recent success, Ireland and Afghanistan were promoted into the ICC ODI Championship and have also since been promoted to full members of the ICC, becoming the newest Test cricketing nations. However, they still needed to qualify for the World Cup via the current process. Afghanistan won the qualifying tournament defeating the West Indies in the final. Both teams qualified for the World Cup, while Zimbabwe despite hosting the qualifying tournament failed to reach the final and will miss the World Cup for the first time since 1983. Recently appointed full member Ireland will also miss the World Cup for the first time since 2007 and for the first time ever no Associate nation will be participating in the World Cup.The fixture list for the tournament was released on 26 April 2018 after the completion of an International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting in Kolkata. London Stadium had been named as a possible venue in the planning stages, and in January 2017 the ICC completed an inspection of the ground, confirming that the pitch dimensions would be compliant with the requirements to host ODI matches. However, when the fixtures were announced, London Stadium was not included as a venue.
ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 schedule
The International Cricket Council announced the schedule of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, which will be staged in England and Wales from 30 May to 14 July. The England will open the tournament at The Oval on 30 May when they will take on South Africa, while Australia will launch their title defense on 1 June against the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier champions Afghanistan in a day/night match in Bristol.The reigning ICC Champions Trophy winners and former champions Pakistan will start their campaign against the ICC World Twenty20 winners and two-time former champions the Windies at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on 31 May.India, the 1983 and 2011 world champions who also won the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013 in England and Wales, will play their first match on 5 June against South Africa at the Hampshire Bowl in Southampton. Their feature match against traditional rivals Pakistan will be at Old Trafford in Manchester on 16 June.The Old Trafford in Manchester and Edgbaston in Birmingham will stage the two semi-finals on 9 and 11 July, while Lord’s will play host to a World Cup final for the fifth time, on 14 July. All these three matches will have reserve days.Eleven world-class venues will be used in the 46-day tournament in which each side will play the other once in a single-league format with the top four sides after 45 matches progressing to the semi-finals. Tthe Old Trafford in Manchester will host maximum six matches, while Edgbaston in Birmingham, Hampshire Bowl in Southampton, Lord’s and The Oval (both in London), and Trent Bridge in Nottingham will stage five matches each. Cardiff Wales Stadium in Cardiff and Headingly in Leeds have been allocated four matches each and County Ground Bristol in Bristol, County Ground Taunton in Taunton and The Riverside in Chester-le-Street have got three matches each. The ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said: “It’s always an exciting moment ahead of any major event to announce the schedule and for the ICC Cricket World Cup. Next summer fans around the world will be treated to compelling and competitive cricket as the best teams in the world go head to head in this round-robin format for the right to be crowned World Champions.“This schedule also gives fans across England and Wales the opportunity to watch world-class cricket on their doorstep with all teams moving around the country. We know from previous ICC events that every country will be proudly supported at each of the venues creating an exceptional atmosphere and a real celebration of the game.”The ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 Managing Director Steve Elworthy said: “announcement of the schedule is another important moment in the build-up to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 – the moment that the tournament comes to life for teams and cricket lovers across the world. This is the flagship event in one-day cricket.
“There are some fantastic head-to-head fixtures – England v Australia at Lord’s and India v Pakistan at Old Trafford as well as England v India at Edgbaston spring to mind. As organizers we can promise the teams and fans we will work hard to provide the perfect stage for this event. “Because of the UK’s diverse population, every competing team will also be guaranteed a ‘home crowd’ every time they play at some of the most iconic cricket grounds in the world.“The Cricket World Cup is the third most watched global event and has huge interest and appeal amongst cricket fans. Our ambition is to grow the game and deliver the greatest ever cricket celebration and with that in mind we have very carefully developed our ticket prices.”The prices have been tested with thousands of fans over the last six months; we have used external experts and consulted widely to ensure that they are good value versus other global sporting events. The prices balance accessibility with delivering the investment required to deliver a world-class event. All revenue is invested back in the game to grow cricket.”
Ticket prices offered are as follows:
• 80,000+ tickets at £20 (over half of the group stage matches)
• 200,000+ tickets at £50 or less
• Child tickets at every match, starting from £6
• Family of four for £52
ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 Schedule: by venue

Cardiff Wales Stadium, Cardiff
1 June – New Zealand v Sri Lanka (d)
4 June – Afghanistan v Sri Lanka (d)
8 June – England v Bangladesh (d)
15 June – South Africa v Afghanistan (d/n)
County Ground Bristol, Bristol
1 June – Afghanistan v Australia (d/n)
7 June – Pakistan v Sri Lanka (d)
11 June – Bangladesh v Sri Lanka (d)
County Ground Taunton, Taunton
8 June – Afghanistan v New Zealand (d/n)
12 June – Australia v Pakistan (d)
17 June – Windies v Bangladesh (d)
Edgbaston, Birmingham
19 June – New Zealand v South Africa (d)
26 June – New Zealand v Pakistan (d)
30 June – England v India (d)
2 July – Bangladesh v India (d)
11 July – Second semi-final (2 v 3) (d)
12 July – Reserve day
Hampshire Bowl, Southampton
5 June – South Africa v India (d)
10 June – South Africa v Windies (d)
14 June – England v Windies (d)
22 June – India v Afghanistan (d)
24 June – Bangladesh v Afghanistan (d)
Headingley, Leeds
21 June – England v Sri Lanka (d)
29 June – Pakistan v Afghanistan (d)
4 July – Afghanistan v Windies (d)
6 July – Sri Lanka v India (d)
Lord’s, London
23 June – Pakistan v South Africa (d)
25 June – England v Australia (d)
29 June – New Zealand v Australia (d/n)
5 July – Pakistan v Bangladesh (d/n)
14 July – Final (d)
15 July – Reserve day
Old Trafford, Manchester
16 June – India v Pakistan (d)
18 June – England v Afghanistan (d)
22 June – Windies v New Zealand (d/n)
27 June – Windies v India (d)
6 July – Australia v South Africa (d/n)
9 July – First semifinal (1 v 4) (d)
10 July – Reserve day
The Oval, London
30 May – England v South Africa (d)
2 June –South Africa v Bangladesh (d)
5 June – Bangladesh v New Zealand (d/n)
9 June – India v Australia (d)
15 June – Sri Lanka v Australia (d)
The Riverside, Chester-le-Street
28 June – Sri Lanka v South Africa (d)
1 July – Sri Lanka v Windies (d)
3 July – England v New Zealand (d)
Trent Bridge, Nottingham
31 May – Windies v Pakistan (d)
3 June – England v Pakistan (d)
6 June – Australia v Windies (d)
13 June – India v New Zealand (d)
20 June – Australia v Bangladesh (d)