Australia have qualified for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 final for a record eighth time and will take on hosts India.
The five-time champions held their ground during their chase of 213 against South Africa on Thursday. The side sealed their second semi-final win by three wickets and 2.6 overs remaining at the iconic Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata.
By losing the semi-final, the South Africans have failed yet again in their quest to win a Cricket World Cup.
Team India overcame a resolute New Zealand in the tournament’s first semi-final at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on 15 November.
The team broke several records on the way to their 70-run win.
Some of them included Virat Kohli becoming the first-ever player to score 50 centuries in One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and pacer Mohammed Shami claiming the best ODI figures for India with his spell of seven for 57.
When and where will the 2023 Cricket World Cup final be played?
The 2023 Cricket World Cup final between India and Australia will be played on Sunday at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium, the world’s largest cricket stadium.
The India vs Australia World Cup 2023 final match will start at 2pm local time (8.30am UK time).
Where will the match be broadcast?
Viewers in the UK will be able to watch the World Cup on Sky Sports. Subscribers can stream matches via Sky Go.
For those watching in India, the match will be broadcast on Star Sports and through its streaming service Disney+ Hotstar.
The upcoming match will mark India’s fourth appearance in a Cricket World Cup final and also be a repeat of the 2003 World Cup final, in which Ricky Ponting’s Australia crushed India led by Sourav Ganguly, by 125 runs at Johannesburg’s Wanderers Stadium.
India had won the last World Cup it had hosted on its home turf, in 2011. The hosts, led by former cricketing star MS Dhoni, had won the tournament after 28 years.
Australia, meanwhile, remains a dominant force in the sport. It has won the tournament in 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2015. It had lost two finals in 1975 and 1996.
Ahead of the 2023 World Cup final, India star Kohli is at the top of the runs chart.
He has 711 runs in 10 matches at an incredible average of 101.57, having recorded three centuries and five fifties. Australia’s best batter this tournament has been opener David Warner, the sixth-leading scorer with 528 runs.
The top two bowlers of the 2023 World Cup are fittingly one each from India and Australia. Shami is at the top of the table with 23 wickets, one scalp more than Australian spinner Adam Zampa.
