Cricket World Cup 2019: all you need to know

The Cricket World Cup has taken place in England and Wales on just four previous occasions – 1975, 1979, 1983 and 1999. So that’s why it’s so exciting cricket has come back to us this year, centring on prestigious cricketing venues in London.

The very first Cricket World Cup was held in England in 1975, so our nation has a special connection with the prestigious event. Various one day cricketing competitions had taken place prior to 1975 with such success that a Cricket World Cup was deemed necessary. The rest, as they say, is history.

This year’s Cricket World Cup has seen ten teams qualify to compete in the main tournament: Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies. Venues across England and Wales are playing host to matches, with various matches taking place in the most prestigious venues – Lord’s and The Oval – both in London. The Cricket World Cup final will be held at Lord’s.

The tournament began with the warm up stage, where each team played each other once. The top four teams then progressed to the knockout stage for the semi-finals and beyond. The four top teams are: South Africa, India, Australia and England. However, the remaining teams will still continue to play matches to determine their final position in the leader board at the end of the tournament.

With so many cricket matches taking place in London, we’re excited to see the city come alive with cricketing cheer. The matches to look forward to in London are:

• 30 May 2019 – England v South Africa – The Oval
• 2 June 2019 – Bangladesh v South Africa – The Oval
• 5 June 2019 – Bangladesh v New Zealand – The Oval
• 9 June 2019 – Australia v India – The Oval
• 15 June 2019 – Australia v Sri Lanka – The Oval
• 23 June 2019 – Pakistan v South Africa – Lord’s
• 25 June 2019 – England v Australia – Lord’s
• 29 June 2019 – Australia v New Zealand – Lord’s
• 5 July 2019 – Bangladesh v Pakistan – Lord’s

And finally, on 14 July the final will be played at Lord’s.

Tickets are still available for some matches via resale, so check the ICC Cricket World Cup website for more information.

Even if you don’t have tickets there are still plenty of opportunities to get involved in Cricket World Cup activities in London.

• Get involved in family fun days at cricket clubs across London during the weekend of 7 to 9 June, which will include taster sessions and cricket themed activities.
• The Cricket World Cup final will be shown on a big screen in Trafalgar Square on 14 July, and there will be festivities in the square in the days leading up to the big final too.
• It is also possible to go on tours of both Lord’s and The Oval on days when there are no matches or other events – the perfect way to get a behind-the-scenes look at the prestigious cricketing venues.

Join us at The Athenaeum this June and July to soak up the best of cricket fever in London!