Captains’ Day Sees Skippers Gather Under One Roof Before Big Day at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023

At the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on October 5, 2023, New Zealand will play England in the first match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. In advance of the 48-game competition, which will be contested across 10 sites over the next 45 days, the captains of all 10 teams gathered for a discussion at the ICC’s Captain’s Day event. Topics discussed included the pressure of expectations, their strengths, and what they had learned from previous tournaments.

Jos Buttler, the English captain, expressed excitement for the tournament opening match between England and New Zealand. We aren’t the reigning champs, in my opinion. We are now in a similar situation to everyone who was seated here on tournament day hoping to win it, according to England captain Buttler. We feel prepared. We are ecstatic. We’re all really thrilled for the competition to begin tomorrow since we all know how great India is for cricket.

The majority of the squad has been together since 2015, the beginning of the revolution you stated, and I believe you reiterated that during the game, according to Buttler. Young players in England now play a certain manner and are committed to maintaining the style, and I believe we are aware that this provides us the greatest chance of success.

“We will make mistakes from time to time, but we are okay with that. We still want to strive for perfection and keep pushing the envelope. We always want to strive and be at the forefront of that curve as well because other teams will push you and advance it farther.

The difficulties that await New Zealand in the competition excite Kane Williamson, who is on the injured list along with Tim Southee. “As you indicated, when you enter another event, everyone undoubtedly begins over from square one, and as you go from tournament to tournament, teams and playing circumstances change. For us, concentrating on the kind of cricket we want to continue playing offers us the greatest opportunity of performing at our peak.

“Over the course of the many tournaments we have participated in, it has been good to have some fun moments and undoubtedly full of varied obstacles, but we’re extremely enthusiastic about the challenges that lie ahead for this one. And the distinction is that, in contrast to previous competitions, it will bring with it a memorable moment in India. Simply said, there are so many people who enjoy and support sports. Therefore, we just look forward to participating.

Pat Cummins of Australia felt that his squad would be able to match the accomplishments of previous champions.

“Yeah, I can’t claim too much credit for a lot of them (tournament victories). When questioned about Australia’s excellent World Cup past, he said, “There are a number of the lads that were there in 2015, which definitely gives us confidence.

“In the early 2000s, we had a pretty good year. I believe that the one-day cricket format has worked well for Australian teams in the past, he remarked. “Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting’s squads have everything covered. I grew up watching sports throughout the early part of the 2000s, not only the batting and having some strong fast bowlers to challenge the opposition. Yes, they were excellent and really sporty. So let’s hope we can continue. We’ve had a relatively successful World Cup history. So perhaps there will be another,” Cummins said.

Temba Bavuma of South Africa, on the other side, felt that the IPL experience is useful to all nations.

“In my opinion, all of the teams can benefit from it. Many of the teams have players who are from India and have had success there. Therefore, I wouldn’t say it’s a benefit for (only) us,” he added. “(What) we can do is, you know, utilise it in terms of, you know, our strategies and our goals by having the men with that expertise and knowledge share it with the team. But I wouldn’t say it’s a benefit that only our team as a whole can provide,” he remarked.

Dasun Shanaka, the captain of Sri Lanka, said that his team is driven to make a statement.

“These are thrilling times for us. We have had a lot of recent difficulty due to injuries, but we also have a solid record,” he stated. Everyone wants to make a message that they are at the World Cup to play well, Shanaka added. “You know, as a group, we are looking forward to the World Cup.”

Hashmatullah Shahidi, the captain of Afghanistan, said that his squad excels in the spin area. “Our main strength is in the spin department, but I believe we have worked very hard over the last couple of years,” the man stated.

Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh mentioned how well his squad did in the points system. “We did our homework. We are most likely the third or fourth team in the qualifying point system if we consider the four years since the 2019 World Cup. So, collectively, we’ve done extremely well, he added.

“Now it’s time for us to put on a good show in this World Cup, and I think our team is ready. Also, the country is expecting a little more than what we did previously,” continued Shakib.

Scott Edwards of the Netherlands stated his team was driven to carry over their strong performance from the qualifiers into the main competition.

“Really impressed of how the lads approached it. It is apparent that the Qualifiers were a challenging part of the event. We have a lot of confidence in how we performed there, and maybe we can carry that into this tournament, added Edwards.