The ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 is underway as hosts England took on South Africa at the Oval, London on Thursday. The Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, addressed the crowd at The Oval, saying, “The first ever Cricket World Cup took place in England in 1975 and I am delighted that the UK will once again play host to this wonderful global event featuring 10 incredible teams, who, thanks to the UK’s diversity will feel like they are playing to a home crowd at every game. In the opening match, England posted 311/8 against South Africa, till filing of this report at 8pm.
South Africa won the toss and opted to field first. The Proteas were off to a good start when spinner Imran Tahir, the first spinner ever to open bowling in a World Cup match, dismissed Jonny Bairstow in the second ball of the first over. After that, Jason Roy and Joe Root tried to steady the ship by taking runs quickly. They survived the early scare, and passed the 100-run mark within 17 overs, with Jason Roy and Joe Root both scoring their fifties. England then suddenly lost two wickets in quick succession as pacer Andile Phehlukwayo finally broke the 106-run partnership as he dismissed Jason Roy after his 53-ball 54 run innings. Root then followed his partner’s path in the next over as he edged Rabada’s delivery and the ball went onto Duminy’s hand, leaving England at 111/3 after 19.1 overs. Then Stokes and skipper Morgan had a 106-run partnership for the fourth wicket stand, before Morgan departed after scoring 57, leaving England at 217/4 after 37 overs. Stokes, on the other hand, continued his ascendency over South African bowlers and was hitting them all around the ground. But then Buttler was dismissed cheaply. Stokes was the lone fighter in the pitch as wickets were falling at the other end. He helped England to cross the 300-run mark, but his 79-ball 89 run innings came to an end as Ngidi removed him. Meanwhile, Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza along with other nine captains met with Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Harry at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday. After their meeting, an opening ceremony was arranged on the same day in front of Buckingham Palace. An array of stars, including the captains of the 10 teams, former players and celebrities were present in the ‘Opening Party’. The venue was filled with nearly 4000 cricket fans. And, this was the firt time that the opening ceremony of the Cricket World Cup was not held inside a stadium. The 10 captains were invited to the stage at the Mall as the party got underway. To add to the festivities, representatives from other countries including Nobel Peace laureate Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan, actor Joya Ahsan of Bangladesh, Afghan singer Aryana Sayeed, and Farhan Akhtar walked in alongside Anil Kumble as the crowd cheered. To top it off, A 60-second challenge of gully cricket consisting of a former cricketer and a celebrity at the Mall added a lot of excitement to the glittering ceremony.
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