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The 12 edition of the cricket World Cup would kickoff on Thursday (30 May) with hosts England taking on South Africa at the Kennington Oval in London. But the biggest tournament in the sport is all set for an official launch on Wednesday (29 May), a day ahead of the inaugural match. [caption id=“attachment_6722201” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]
Fill image of the Mall. Reuters[/caption] The official launch which is also being called the opening party which will take place at The Mall, in front of Buckingham Palace in central London. 4,000 fans are expected to attend the event, which will also be broadcast live across the globe. Tickets for the event were allocated through a ballot system, which is now shut. What to expect from the opening ceremony? Steve Elworthy, managing director of World Cup 2019 said: “The Opening Party will capture the very essence of what makes this tournament so special and will be hugely exciting for the fans that are lucky enough to attend but also across broadcast we will show the world what they have to look forward to over the next 45 days of cricket action. “The Mall, with Buckingham Palace in the background, is synonymous with some of the biggest events held in the UK and is instantly recognisable to everyone around the globe. It will be a fitting celebration of a World Cup, cricket and sport with diversity at its core.” According to reports, while the opening ceremony will be attended by numerous legends of the game, ICC has decided to keep the captains away from the event in order to keep them fresh for the tournament. For all the latest news, opinions and analysis from ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, click here
ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 Opening Ceremony Highlights: Team captains meet the Queen as opening party concludes
FirstCricket Staff
• May 29, 2019, 22:43:39 IST
Catch all the live coverage and latest updates from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 Opening Ceremony at the Mall, London, England.
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May 29, 2019, 22:43:39 (IST)
And that brings us to the conclusion of the Cricket World Cup 2019 Opening Party, with the opening match of the tournament between England and South Africa now less than 24 hours away. We certainly can’t wait for the much-awaited mega-event to kick off on the field.
Do follow our live coverage of the match that takes place at the Oval tomorrow. For now, it’s time for us to bid you all good night!
May 29, 2019, 22:31:02 (IST)
The captains had earlier met the Queen and Prince Harry at the Buckingham Palace ahead of the 2019 World Cup opening ceremony.
May 29, 2019, 22:25:24 (IST)
Next up, we have a rendition of the official ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 theme song, titled ‘Stand By’, a collaboration between LORYN and Rudimental.
May 29, 2019, 22:23:27 (IST)
“Very special. SOme of the fondest memories of my career is playing in a World Cup, so to win it in 2015 is very special. Last three or four months has been outstanding, so they’re in for a terrific tournament,” says Michael Clarke, after putting the World Cup trophy on the stage in front of the Buckingham Palace.
May 29, 2019, 22:20:39 (IST)
Next up, we have 2015 World Cup-winning captain Michael Clarke bringing forth the trophy alongwith former England spinner Graeme Swann.
May 29, 2019, 22:19:40 (IST)
“We now see more and more women take part in cricket. I think women should take part more in sport. I have been a big fan of cricket since my childhood. I think this sport connects different people from different cultures. We’re all here to celebrate cricket,” says Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousufzai, who earlier represented Pakistan in the 60-Second Challenge.
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May 29, 2019, 22:15:44 (IST)
“Long may the England badge continue to flourish over the next few weeks. No fear of failure is outstanding,” says former England batsman Kevin Pietersen.
May 29, 2019, 22:15:12 (IST)
And we have reached the conclusion of the 60-second challenge event, with England moving to the top of the ladder with 74 points! England pip arch-rivals Australia in this event, and perhaps Eoin Morgan and company will hope to keep the party going once the main event starts Tomorrow.
May 29, 2019, 22:09:28 (IST)
Both Kumble and Akhtar got bowled quite a few times, and ended up getting a score of just 19, the lowest so far. Will they end up at the bottom? Let’s find out as England walk out to bat.
May 29, 2019, 22:07:48 (IST)
48. Not bad a score from the Proteas. Australia still very much in the lead. Next up we have the Indians, represented by Kumble and Akhtar,
May 29, 2019, 22:06:13 (IST)
32 is all that the Black Caps can muster, less than half of their trans-tasman rivals. Next up, the Proteas, with Kallis and Steve Pienaar walking out to bat.
May 29, 2019, 22:04:38 (IST)
69! That’s Australia’s score, and the defending world champions are also the leaders in the 60-second challenge at the moment. Next up is New Zealand, with former bowler James Franklin one of the two batsmen representing the Black Caps here.
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May 29, 2019, 22:03:10 (IST)
Afghanistan’s score of 52 is still the score to beat. Australia are up next, with pace legend Brett Lee hoping to deposit the ball into the crowd on a few occasions.
May 29, 2019, 21:59:26 (IST)
Not a bad score for the Pakistanis, with 38 runs being collected by Azhar and Malala. “Im sure we’ll get on top,” says former India leggie Anil Kumble on his team’s chances.
May 29, 2019, 21:56:39 (IST)
Bangladesh, with Abdur Razzaq among those representing the side, score 22 runs, the lowest among the sides so far in the event. Next up is Pakistan, represented by Azhar Ali and Malala Yousufzai.
May 29, 2019, 21:54:43 (IST)
West Indies notch up a score of 47, which included quite a few big hits from sprinter Yohan Blake as well as the batting legend Richards. Next team to bat is Bangladesh.
May 29, 2019, 21:52:54 (IST)
The Sri Lankans, with Mahela Jayawardene out there batting for his side, have scored 43 runs. West Indies, represented by Viv Richards and Yohan Blake, are next.
May 29, 2019, 21:51:20 (IST)
Afghanistan is the first side to take part in this little event, and they have scored a total of 52 runs. Next team to bat are Sri Lanka.
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May 29, 2019, 21:48:51 (IST)
Next up, we have a 60-second challenge taking place between the various ’teams’, with each side represented by two guest figures. Former India leg-spinner Anil Kumble and Bollywood actor Farhan Akhtar are representing India at the event, which also involves legends of the game such as Viv Richards, Jacques Kallis, Brett Lee, Kevin Pietersen among others.
The challenge will be to score as many runs as possible in sixty seconds. Former Australia batsman David Boon is the umpire for this little game.
May 29, 2019, 21:41:40 (IST)
A legend is in attendance at the opening ceremony in London.
May 29, 2019, 21:37:17 (IST)
“Lovely to be here. Such a huge fan base here. That’s a thing of pressure and a thing of pride as well. We’ll look to utilise the crowd advantage,” says India skipper Virat Kohli at the event.
May 29, 2019, 21:36:56 (IST)
“We can’t wait to start. Tomorrow’s obviously a very exciting day. Incredibly proud to be where we’re at. Hoep to be good hosts,” says England captain Eoin Morgan at the opening ceremony.
May 29, 2019, 21:33:13 (IST)
Aaaaand we’re underway with the opening ceremony, with former England cricketer Andrew Flintoff among those conducting the event at Sri Lanka. The event will begin with the team captains arriving on the stage.
May 29, 2019, 21:28:00 (IST)
England favourites to win World Cup ahead of India, says Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar says Eoin Morgan’s England will be the team to beat at the World Cup, with home advantage giving them a vital edge over India. Read more here .
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May 29, 2019, 21:15:08 (IST)
The crowd’s starting to build up at the venue where the opening ceremony is set to take place in a few minutes’ time.
May 29, 2019, 21:00:26 (IST)
Hosts England have been widely considered favourites by a number of experts, as well as fans, and many believe the current side led by Eoin Morgan has the best chance to end the men’s team’s hoodoo as far as the prestigious event is concerned. Skipper Eoin Morgan believes winning the World Cup on home soil would mean a huge amount for sport in England. Read more
here
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May 29, 2019, 20:45:07 (IST)
The 2019 World Cup is less than a day away from kickoff now, and the release and promotion of the official theme song for the tournament is one of the indicators of the event knocking at our doorstep. Telford Vice previews the tournament, looking at some of the off-field factors to keep in mind as we head into the cricketing carnival that is set to take place over the course of more than a month. Read the piece
here
.
May 29, 2019, 20:30:24 (IST)
Hello and welcome to Firstpost’s coverage of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 Opening Ceremony!
The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Opening Party is set to take place on the iconic London Mall on the evening of 29 May ahead of the opening fixture between hosts England and South Africa at The Oval on 30 May, and will be broadcast live on the Star Sports Network.
End of Liveblog