ICC Cricket World Cup warm-up matches, schedule and how to watch

Everything you need to know about the Cricket World Cup warm up matches

Mushfiqur Rahim of Bangladesh tries to takes a catch to dismiss Charith Asalanka of Sri Lanka during the Bangladesh and Sri Lanka warm-up match (Photo by Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)

The Cricket World Cup gets underway on 5 October when England take on New Zealand at the 134,000-seater stadium in Ahmedabad, and the nations are busy getting in shape before that.

During the main competition the sides will all play each other once in a round-robin group format, but a number will have a chance to eye up the opposition in some warm-up matches.

The squads will be confirmed on September 28, so the warm-up games offer captains and coaches a chance to finalise their first-choice XI, work out match ups and get used to the conditions in India.

Here’s everything you need to know about the fixtures:

When are the Cricket World Cup warm up matches?

The warm up matches take place between 29 September and October 3 in three different cities in India, Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram and Hyderabad.

Who is taking part?

All 10 teams taking part in the World Cup (India, England, Australia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Netherlands, South Africa) will have two warm-up matches each ahead of the tournament.

How are they different?

The matches will be 50-over games but will not have official one-day international (ODI) status as sides will be allowed to use all members of their 15-strong squads in the matches.

How can I watch them?

In India: The World Cup warm up matches will be shown across a range of Star Sports channels and the matches will be available for free on the Disney+ Hotstar app and website.

In the UK: The matches will be shown live on Sky Sports, they will show New Zealand vs Pakistan, Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka, India vs England, England vs Bangladesh and Pakistan vs Australia

Fixtures:

Friday 29 September:

Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka, Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati 9.30am BST (2pm local time)

South Africa vs Afghanistan, Greenfield Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram 9.30am BST (2pm local time)

New Zealand vs Pakistan, Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad 9.30am BST (2pm local time)

Saturday 30 September:

India vs England, Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati, 9.30am BST (2pm local time)

Australia vs Netherlands, Greenfield Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram 9.30am BST (2pm local time)

Monday 2 October:

England vs Bangladesh, Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati 9.30am BST (2pm local time)

New Zealand vs South Africa, Greenfield Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram, 9.30am BST (2pm local time)

Tuesday 3 October:

Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka, Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati, 9.30am BST (2pm local time)

Pakistan vs Australia, Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad, 9.30am BST (2pm local time)

India vs Netherlands, Greenfield Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram, 9.30am BST (2pm local time)