Everything, everywhere, all at once: The search for a World Cup schedule

On Saturday afternoon, news of the dates and venues of the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup being reported by cricket websites appeared rude. A tad disrespectful; downright cheeky. For the biggest, wealthiest most powerful country in world cricket, which will host its first solo cricket world cup in two months (1987, 1996 and 2011 were held with other South Asian partners), has not got around to releasing the latest version of its amended schedule.

Last week, a "top BCCI official" informed the media that the India vs Pakistan round-robin match scheduled for Ahmedabad was going to be rescheduled because the date October 15 was also the first night of Navratri and the onset of Dandiya. It seemed mystifying that no one had noticed the dandiya date clashing earlier. No, not possible. It was then suggested that the date was being changed, not because police in Ahmedabad couldn't handle Falguni Pathak and Fakhar Zaman in lockstep. October 15, you see, also is Babar Azam's 29th birthday. Could cricket's biggest, most vocal and partisan audience in the mammoth Narendra Modi Stadium, possibly sing happy birthday to the captain of Pakistan?

Whatever the reason, on reading the top BCCI official's news tip, outstation fans, travel agents, hotel booking handlers and fans, NRI and RI, went into a state of confused frenzy. A Twitter handle @FarziCricketer said, "I hope we get the schedule by October and tickets by November. So we could watch the World Cup highlights in December."

The Dandiya-as-disruptor news was followed by a calming announcement from BCCI secretary Jay Shah, the most top of all BCCI officials. Yes, a sudden last-minute glitch had arisen in the World Cup schedule announced on June 27, a full 100-ish days before the event opened. Shah said, "We have received request from two-three ICC member boards participating in the World Cup to make some changes to the schedule… What is important for us is we don't have to make any changes in venues." At which point, a post on a Reddit thread offered their take: "This is the way we will win the World Cup. The schedule is constantly updated. Teams won't know where is the next match. If they know we change the date or the venue or both. Eventually teams turn up at the wrong venue and forfeit and we win."

But enough with the jokes. This is serious business.

ICC World Cup playing schedules are only announced after all playing members have signed off on them. Every cricket board checks their festivals, birthdays, national holidays, travel and other superstitions and says, yes, we're fine with this, and signs on the document. Only after that is a function held, and the schedule released with a catchy tournament video etc. If around one month later, as Shah says if "two-three ICC member boards" are raising objections, the BCCI is well within its rights to put its foot down and refuse to change the schedule.

After all, only earlier in July did the BCCI put that very foot down and got the ICC to change its revenue share model so that it gets 38.5% from the previous 22.4% of ICC's pie. And it's not like the ICC won't stand with BCCI in this matter. The BCCI had already given the other countries an extra eight-nine months to agree upon their 2023 World Cup schedules, the general reason cited for the delay. So, someone else's fault.

In the past, World Cup hosts would release the schedule a year in advance of the first game leaving no room for adjustment. Now that these two-three members have ostensibly abused this generous Indian hospitality, the BCCI must not be timid. Name and shame these troublemakers and rap them on the knuckles for setting out to ruin everyone's travel plans, hotel bookings, and sleep patterns.

The good news is that spectators will be getting free water at every World Cup venue, sponsored, we are told, by Coca Cola; and food and non-alcoholic drink at the grounds is expected to be hygienic and sold at affordable pricing. Before the spectators can get to the venue, however, there is the minor matter of when and how to purchase tickets. Along with Shah's announcement about a reworked schedule and free water, August 10 was seductively released into the ether (but not formally announced) as the date from when sale of tickets will begin.

The BCCI also told those panting fans that while tickets may be bought online their physical version will have to be redeemed "at seven-eight centres well in advance". There is an issue though: "well in advance" on a BCCI timescale does not match that of the rest of the world dreaming of watching a cricket World Cup in India. In previous World Cups, "well in advance" has meant the schedule released a year in advance going all the way back to 1999 when the ICC first took ownership of the tournament.

In terms of ticket sales, the public ballot for ICC 2019 World Cup in England and Wales opened on August 1, 2018. For Australia-New Zealand's CWC 2015, the tickets went on sale from February 14, 2014. The last time India held a World Cup, hosted along with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in 2011, the first batch of tickets went on sale from June 2, 2010. Of, course in February 2011, at one point when tickets for the semis and the finals went on sale, the website crashed in five minutes. Yet for a while in 2011, there had been an order and a system of sale and distribution of tickets online.

It's being said the BCCI is waiting to discuss pricing with various venue associations before putting details — like the movie, schedules, tickets, media accreditation, "everything everywhere, all at once".

As we head into the last 60-ish day sprint to the first match, the ICC CWC 2023 tournament director has to be made answerable for all ticketing — and a myriad other — questions whirling in the uncertainty ahead of the World Cup in India.

Oh wait, sorry, there's no tournament director.