ICC World Cup 2023: All you need to know about warm-up games

The biggest event of international cricket, ICC men's World Cup 2023 is all set to kick off from September 5. In the build up to what's going to be a mega contest among the top teams in the world, we will see them contesting in warm-up matches from September 29.

The warm-up matches will be played in three different grounds in India and will run across a period of 5 days. Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram, and Hyderabad will host these practice matches.

These matches will give the teams the opportunity to try out their bench strength, get the balance of their team right and help them get used to of the condition.

Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad will host two warm-up games. Notably, Pakistan will play both their matches in Hyderabad. Pakistan will go against the giant-killers, New Zealand on September 29 and will lock horns against the most successful team in world cup history, Australia, on October 3.

Four matches will be played at the Thiruvananthapuram's Greenfield International Stadium. The first match in the capital city of Kerala will be played between South Africa and Afghanistan on September 29. On the very next day (September 30) Australia will test their squad against the Netherlands. South Africa will play their second warm-up match on October 2 against the New Zealand. Indian fans will get their treat on October 3 as they will witness India playing against the Netherlands on that day.

Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati is the third venue, hosting the warm-up games. It will also host four matches, which include 'Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka' on September 2 and the much anticipated matches of India and England on September 30. In other two contests, England will take on Bangladesh on October 2 and Sri Lanka will lock horns with Afghanistan on October 3.

All the warm-up games will start at 2:00 PM IST and will be telecasted LIVE and exclusive on the Star Sports Network and Disney+ Hotstar.