ICC make raft of changes to World Cup schedule less than two months before tournament begins

The England v Afghanistan game in Delhi, which was originally scheduled for October 14, will now be played on October 15, while England's match against Pakistan in Kolkata will now be played on November 11. It was originally scheduled for November 12

The ICC have announced a raft of changes to the World Cup schedule, less than two months before the start of the tournament.

Nine games, including three involving England, have new dates or start times. The date for the India v Pakistan fixture in Ahmedabad has also been changed.

The England v Afghanistan game in Delhi, which was originally scheduled for October 14, will now be played on October 15, while England's match against Pakistan in Kolkata will now be played on November 11. It was originally scheduled for November 12.

Meanwhile, the start time of England's match against Bangladesh in Dharamsala on October 10 has been brought forward to 10.30am. It was originally a day-night fixture. 

^{England will now play Pakistan on November 11 [Getty Images]}

Perhaps more of a concern is the venue for the India v Pakistan match. While the date has been moved from October 15 to October 14, with the aim of avoiding a clash with the start of a Hindu festival, there remains some unease among Pakistan supporters about the choice of Ahmedabad. The region has seen some unrest between different religious groups in recent times.

Then tournament starts with a rerun of the 2019 final featuring England and New Zealand in Ahmedabad on October 5. The final takes place at the same venue on November 18. 

The original World Cup schedule was only announced at the end of June; barely three months before the start of the  tournament. The schedules for the two previous ODI World Cups, in Australia and New Zealand (2015) and England (2019) were announced more than a year in advance. 

An ICC media release stated the schedule had been amended "with the aim of providing the best possible World Cup experience to all players and fans".

The ICC have also announced that tickets will go on sale for non-India matches from August 25.