Schedule delay leaves Cricket World Cup without buzz five months out

NEW DELHI: With the match schedule still under wraps and the main title contenders preoccupied with test cricket, there is a distinct lack of buzz around the 50-overs World Cup five months out from its expected start in October.

The governing International Cricket Council (ICC) has said the dates and venues for the 13th edition of the showpiece tournament would be out in "due course" and the host Indian board maintains the same.

"The discussion with the ICC is going on and we'll soon announce the dates and venues," a senior official at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said.

That would come only after the Indian Premier League (IPL) concludes on May 28, according to media reports in India.

While the lack of information, which is unusual for a major sporting event, might be annoying for fans planning to travel to India it is unlikely to impact too match on the preparations of the eight teams already qualified.

England, who hold both white-ball World Cups, are the dominant force in short-format cricket even if their immediate focus is on reclaiming the Ashes from Australia in the test series beginning next month.

Jofra Archer is a doubt for that series because of a nagging elbow injury and white-ball captain Jos Buttler will be hoping the speedster is back to full fitness before the World Cup.

The reigning champions have also left the door open for Ben Stokes to return to the one-day fold if the all-rounder, the hero of the 2019 final, reconsiders his shock ODI retirement.

England's laboured 2-1 ODI series win in Bangladesh in March was followed by a shock 3-0 submission in the Twenty20 leg of that tour, which will have erased any trace of complacency.

India won the World Cup last time they hosted the tournament in