AHMEDABAD: The ICC World Cup Trophy Tour started on Monday after the silverware was launched 120,000 feet above the Earth before it landed in Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium, which will host the final of the 50-over showpiece.

The World Cup is set to be held in India in October-November with the tournament’s schedule expected to be announced on Tuesday, also marking 100 days till the start of the event.

Meanwhile, the Trophy will visit locations in 18 countries across five continents. In addition to visiting over 20 cities in India and other participating countries, the Trophy will also tour a number of emerging nations such as Bahrain, Kuwait, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Nigeria, Uganda, France, Italy and the United States, “enabling new and existing fans to get a glimpse of world cricket’s ultimate prize”, said an International Cricket Council (ICC) press release.

The Trophy will arrive in Pakistan on July 21 for a five-day visit before it continues its tour, which ends on September 3.

“The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Trophy Tour is an important milestone in the countdown to what will be the biggest ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup ever,” ICC chief executive Geoff Allardice said in a statement. “This Tour will see the iconic silverware meet heads of states, launch community initiatives and support cricket development programmes in addition to visiting some of the most iconic landmarks around the globe.”

World Cup Trophy Tour schedule:

June 27- July 14: India

July 15-16: New Zealand

July 17-18: Australia

July 19-21: Papua New Guinea

July 22-24: India

July 25-27: United States

July 28-30: West Indies

July 31-4 August: Pakistan

Aug 5-6: Sri Lanka

Aug 7-9: Bangladesh

Aug 10-11: Kuwait

Aug 12-13: Bahrain

Aug 14-15: India

Aug 16-18: Italy

Aug 19-20: France

Aug 21-24: England

Aug 25-26: Malaysia

Aug 27-28: Uganda

Aug 29-30: Nigeria

Aug 31-Sept 3: South Africa.

Published in Dawn, June 27th, 2023