Having braved the long, colourful and festive queues for hours early Sunday to get into the ground, many started leaving the stadium in droves by the 35th over of Australia's chase as the result became obvious.
Wearing a face mask in the colours of the Palestinian flag, and a T-shirt with the slogan "Stop Bombing Palestine", the unnamed young protester ran onto the pitch in the 132,000-seat mega-stadium in India's western city of Ahmedabad.
As a cricketer, Virat Kohli is in a league of his own. Cricket fans all around the world enjoy his energetic and powerful playing style. In fact, he broke Sachin Tendulkar's milestone for the most runs at an ODI World Cup with his 50th ODI century in India's semi-final match versus New Zealand during the 2023 World Cup.
Drivers honked at fans blocking roads, shouting slogans and bargaining with roadside hawkers hours before the Sunday afternoon finale between the cricket-crazy hosts and the game's traditional powerhouse Australia.
The hosts take on Australia in the final in Ahmedabad on Sunday with Shami on top of the tournament bowling chart, taking 23 wickets in six matches
A showpiece match at the 130,000 capacity Narendra Modi Stadium -- named after the Indian Prime Minister, who is expected to attend the game -- will also feature a pre-match fly-past by the Indian Air Force as well as choreographed displays featuring dozens of dancers and light shows during the innings breaks.
In the ranks of cricket warriors, Glenn Maxwell has made quite a name for himself. The lightning-fast batting of this 35-year-old Australian has been a highlight of the World Cup 2023 games. One of the best batsmen in the world, he has earned the moniker "Big Show" due to his propensity for smashing sixes and unconventional shots.
Australia bowled out South Africa for a below-par 212 despite David Miller's defiant 101 in the second semi-final of the 50-over World Cup at Eden Gardens on Thursday.
"A lot of people believe that this could be the year that we see ourselves in the final," Bavuma, who remains doubtful to play the semi-final due his hamstring injury, told reporters.
England's Ben Stokes on Friday conceded that "nothing's worked" in a disastrous World Cup campaign.
Liton Das has reunited with the Bangladesh side in Delhi today, Bangladesh Cricket Board's media and communications manager Rabeed Imam confirmed. The batter had returned to Bangladesh due to a family emergency on Wednesday.
Netherlands have won the toss and elected to bat against Afghanistan in a pivotal game to both sides’ semi-finals hopes at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow today.
Australia captain Pat Cummins has backed the increase in 15-member limit on squad sizes with Australia facing the prospect of picking from a squad of 13 players against England on Saturday due to absence of Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh.
Matt Henry has been ruled out of the World Cup in India with a torn right hamstring and replaced in the squad by fellow New Zealand paceman Kyle Jamieson.
Root said England should be top of the table with the quality in their squad.
After six defeats in seven games, Bangladesh have become a non-factor in the ongoing ODI World Cup. The Tigers have two matches left in the competition, both of which have turned into dead rubbers. The Bangladesh team, weighed down by consecutive defeats, have already surrendered to reality and have further reverted into their shells.
Not many would have predicted that Afghanistan, who held the record of just a solitary win in World Cups prior to this edition, and the Netherlands, the only associate nation in the tournament, would be vying for a semifinal berth this deep into the mega event.
India seamer Mohammed Shami insisted "it's not rocket science" as he became his country's most successful World Cup bowler on Thursday in the 302-run demolition of Sri Lanka.
The biggest facet, and also a noticeable one, of this World Cup has been top-order carnage that has not only allowed teams to put on huge scores batting first but also made it more important than ever for top-order batters to assert their dominance in their approach of chasing down the big targets thrown at them.
