From a team that only ever tried to ‘spin to win’, Bangladesh have now evolved into a pace-centric attack heading into the ICC World Cup in India.

All participants in the 2023 World Cup in India are well aware that in big events, teams tackle the conditions just as much as they play their opponents and the pressure posed by the competition.

As the 13th edition of the ICC ODI World Cup kicks off in Ahmedabad today, it is time we took a dive into what makes cricket so special to so many people around the world.

Four years after delivering the most memorable final in World Cup history, England and New Zealand will face off once again in cricket’s grandest stage in the opening match of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 today.

An important figure behind Sri Lanka’s emergence as a cricketing force in the world, Hashan Tilakaratne is someone who possesses vast knowledge about the game. The former Lankan captain, who was an integral part of the 1996 World Cup-winning Sri Lankan side, has been in charge of the Bangladesh women’s team since November 2022. During an exclusive interview with The Daily Star’s Abdullah Al Mehdi, the 56-year-old talked about the mindset and the relationship a coach needs to have with the cricketers, the recipe for success in the World Cup, and his expectations from the Tigers ahead of the mega event in India.  

There was a lot of scepticism surrounding the exclusion of an experienced Khaled Mashud Pilot in favour of a young wicketkeeper-batter Mushfiqur Rahim in Bangladesh’s 2007 World Cup squad. 

You reach a consensus, perhaps to the tune of “they will get blown away this year” or, at the other end of the spectrum, “they’re playing well, they might just conjure something”. And then the Tigers do the opposite.

When last the ODI World Cup was played in South Asia, in 2011, five of the top seven wicket-takers in that tournament were spin bowlers. In the recent Asia Cup, however, in which more matches were played in Colombo (a notoriously spin-friendly venue) than any other venue, five of the top seven wicket-takers were seam bowlers.

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam said Wednesday his team "was not expecting" the warm reception they have received in India, claiming "it's like we are at home".

England star Ben Stokes could miss the World Cup opener against New Zealand due to a hip injury with captain Jos Buttler admitting Wednesday "it's not the time to take risks".

The Bangladesh captain said that he is uninterested in personal achievements and is only concerned about contributing to team's success.

The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 is set to get underway tomorrow with a repeat of the 2019 final between New Zealand and England in Ahmedabad at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 in India will be brought to life by some of the most recognisable voices in the game.

New Zealand's Tim Southee will miss the World Cup's opening match against holders England and potentially some of the following matches due to an injured thumb, stand-in-skipper Tom Latham said Wednesday.

From being brutally trolled on social media at the beginning of his career to becoming the mainstay of Bangladesh’s batting line-up in recent years, Najmul Hossain Shanto has come a long way as a cricketer. The 25-year-old, who is set to play his maiden ODI World Cup, will definitely play a crucial role for the Tigers in the mega event in India. The in-form batter opened up about his game, and expectations from the showpiece event along with a few other topics during an exclusive interview with The Daily Star’s Mazhar Uddin. The excerpts of the interview are given below: 

It doesn’t need recounting what all limited-overs cricket has done for the evolution of the sport. However, it is not often acknowledged how much it has done for one of the most exciting rivalries in the sport.

In Hyderabad, Australia made 351-7 from their 50 overs with Glenn Maxwell particularly ruthless on Pakistan's bowlers.

One by one, the bands are getting back together, ahead of a tournament that matters an awful lot more than the reputation of its format would suggest.

The world has changed a lot since the inaugural edition of the ICC World Cup took place in England way back in 1975 as a ‘necessary evil’ and at a time when the radio or the affluent people’s black and white televisions were the only modes to tune in to the action of cricket’s showpiece event. 

On the crowded streets outside the world's biggest cricket arena -- the 130,000-capacity Narendra Modi Stadium, which will host the opening match between defending champions England and New Zealand on Thursday -- hawkers report a brisk trade.