The tournament ended with a satisfying plot twist in the final but its unwieldy structure met plenty of criticism
The official motto of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 was It Takes One Day. If this sounded grudging – less eight hours of sustained sporting thrills, more parental persuasion before a rain-sodden trip to a stately home – then the reality was more exhausting.
But after 46 days, 48 matches, 10 cities, and endless, endless air miles, the tournament had delivered a fitting stage for the cream of the sport and a dramatic plot twist at the end: Australia broke the hearts of an expectant India with victory in the final, the underdogs triumphant on the day even if it was also their sixth men’s title.