2023 Cricket World Cup, Geography Style!

Here’s everything—or at least a few geographical things—you should know about the 2023 Cricket World Cup.

 

The Basics

Before diving in, if you have no idea what cricket is, check out this primer.

The 2023 Cricket World Cup was the 13th such competition, the inaugural event having taken place in 1975. Held approximately every four years since then, the 2023 edition was hosted by India, pitting 10 countries against each other for the right to be declared the best former British possession (as measured by a bat and ball).

Each country played the others once in a 50-over match. Two points were awarded for a win, and after all participants played nine matches, the top four by points advanced to a single-elimination tournament. The winner, not surprisingly, was Australia, which earned its sixth World Cup title. Other winners in the past have included India (2), West Indies (2), Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and England.

 

The Countries

These were the 10 contenders in the 2023 Cricket World Cup. Included are population (with ranking), 2022 nominal GDP (with ranking), and a reminder regarding exactly how the Brits forced the sport upon them.

Afghanistan

Population: 42 million (36)

2022 Nominal GDP: Data not available (pretty bad)

British Connection: Afghanistan spent some time as a British protectorate, though proximity to Pakistan (see below) has been the major driving force behind cricket adoption.

Australia

Population: 26 million (55)

2022 Nominal GDP: $1.6 trillion (12)

British Connection: The Australia we know today began as a British penal colony in 1788.

Bangladesh

Population: 173 million (8)

2022 Nominal GDP: $460 billion (34)

British Connection: See India and Pakistan. East Pakistan obtained independence as Bangladesh in 1971.

England

Population: 57 million (the entire United Kingdom has 67 million, good for number 21)

2022 Nominal GDP: $3 trillion including the entire United Kingdom (6)

British Connection: This one is obvious. The sport is said to have originated in southeast England in perhaps the 16th century.

India

Population: 1.4 billion (1)

2022 Nominal GDP: $3.3 trillion (5)

British Connection: Britain colonized the hell out of India for a few hundred years, finally taking a hike in 1947.

Netherlands

Population: 17 million (72)

2022 Nominal GDP: $991 billion (18)

British Connection: Cricket may have been introduced by British traders/expatriates in the 18th and 19th centuries.

New Zealand

Population: 5 million (123)

2022 Nominal GDP: $247 billion (50)

British Connection: The New Zealand we know today began as an extension of New South Wales in Australia.

Pakistan

Population: 240 million (5)

2022 Nominal GDP: $376 billion (41)

British Connection: See India. When the Brits left, Pakistan was born.

South Africa

Population: 60 million (24)

2022 Nominal GDP: $405 billion (37)

British Connection: While the Dutch landed in South Africa first, the Brits eventually showed up too, leading to a couple wars. Animosity ran deep, but both sides shared a passion for cricket and racism.

Sri Lanka

Population: 21 million (61)

2022 Nominal GDP: $74 billion (76)

British Connection: While the Brits were in the neighborhood (India), they oppressed so-called Ceylon as well. The island achieved independence as Sri Lanka in 1948.

 

The Cities

Ten cities across India hosted matches.

To better grasp what follows, here’s a quick lesson on Indian states and territories, and here’s a helpful map courtesy Wikipedia.

Please note that population estimates aren’t the most reliable.

Ahmedabad

Metro Population: 8.4 million

State: Gujarat

Stadium (Capacity): Narendra Modi Stadium (132,000, making it the largest cricket stadium in the world)

Factoid: Mahatma Gandhi graduated from high school here.

Bangalore

Metro Population: 13.1 million

State: Karnataka

Stadium (Capacity): M. Chinnaswamy Stadium (40,000)

Factoid: Known as the Silicon Valley of India.

Chennai

Metro Population: 15.9 million

State: Tamil Nadu

Stadium (Capacity): M.A. Chidambaram Stadium (50,000)

Factoid: Nicknamed the Detroit of India based on auto industry activity.

Dharamshala

Metro Population: 65,000

State: Himachal Pradesh

Stadium (Capacity): HPCA Stadium (23,000)

Factoid: A beautiful town in the Himalayas that hosts the exiled Tibetan government.

Hyderabad

Metro Population: 10.5 million

State: Telangana

Stadium (Capacity): Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium (55,000)

Factoid: Known for its mouthwatering biryani.

Kolkata

Metro Population: 15.1 million

State: West Bengal

Stadium (Capacity): Eden Gardens (66,000)

Factoid: Home to one of the largest book fairs in the world.

Lucknow

Metro Population: 3.9 million

State: Uttar Pradesh

Stadium (Capacity): BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium (50,000)

Factoid: Home to the world’s largest school (over 55,000 students) according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

Mumbai

Metro Population: 26 million

State: Maharashtra

Stadium (Capacity): Wankhede Stadium (32,000)

Factoid: Home of Bollywood and one of the world’s largest slums.

New Delhi

Metro Population: 32 million

State: Part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi

Stadium (Capacity): Arun Jaitley Stadium (41,842)

Factoid: Considered one of the most polluted cities in the world.

Pune

Metro Population: 10 million

State: Maharashtra

Stadium (Capacity): Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium (55,000)

Factoid: Nicknamed the Oxford of the East based on its educational institutions.

 

Who said that watching grown men hit a ball isn’t educational?