CHENNAI: A sea of blue shirts will sweep across England, with the big destination missing from the travel itinerary of the India fan. Virat Kohli’s men will play their nine league games in six venues, without a single one at Lord’s. The only way they can get there is by reaching the final.
The schedule has been unkind on the Men in Blue in this regard, but they are not the only one. The West Indies, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan are the other teams with no league fixture lined up at Lord’s. The other six teams have at least one at the hallowed venue, which will stage just four round-robin matches before hosting a fifth World Cup final on July 14. The semifinals are in Manchester and Birmingham.
Pakistan and Australia are the luckiest of visiting teams as far playing at Lord’s is concerned. Both have two matches at the venue. The game against Australia is the only one England have there. South Africa, New Zealand and Bangladesh have one game each. The Asian population in and around London will not be deprived of action at Lord’s though, as Pakistan’s second match there is against Bangladesh.
The 48 matches of the competition have been spread over 10 venues in England and one in Wales. India will play twice in Southampton, Manchester, Birmingham and once each at Nottingham, the Oval in London and Leeds. The seventh Indo-Pak World Cup match is in Manchester on June 16. Tickets for most India games have been sold out.
