Round 1 Report: Opening Matches of the Street Child Cricket World Cup 2023
For the first time, all the teams were present at the Amir Mahal Palace, Chennai, where they were welcomed by guests – including Latha Rajinikanth (the wife of Tamil cinema superstar Rajinikanth) – supporters, and all those who have helped put on the festival that is the Street Child Cricket World Cup 2023.
The late, great Shane Warne once said “never give up; just absolutely never give up.” Well, the 18 teams (India Cobras you will get your turn) who took to the field understood this sentiment and more, proving why cricket is truly the beautiful game.
From Hungary ever so nearly defending a low total against Mauritius right until the final ball, to Zimbabwe announcing their arrival to the tournament by sending the England opener’s off stump cartwheeling in the first ball of the innings, an action packed day was concluded here in Chennai.
All the teams started off in the morning with a series of training sessions, run by Street Child United’s energetic cricket volunteers (who you will hear more about in the coming days…).
Following lunch, we saw the tournament’s opening ceremony, where players, volunteers and supporters heard from SCU’s founder John Wroe, Latha Rajinikanth and Asif the Nawabzada Mohammed Asif Ali, Dewan to the Prince of Arcot. Of particular note was Latha’s emotion evoking comments saying “it doesn’t matter where you are – your smile is the blessing of this entire universe.” A powerful message and one that is truly represented by the players here at the Street Child Cricket World Cup in Chennai.
The Cricket Begins...
It was Bangladesh that saw the first six of the tournament, going on to put down a marker for the rest of the teams with a strong victory against Sri Lanka.
Nepal and Mexico deserve special mentions for a benchmark display of sportsmanship, always handing the ball back to the other team when it went out of play.
And then there’s Hungary, who faced several setbacks travelling here to Chennai, but encapsulated the ‘Spirit of the Game’ in their aforementioned match against Mauritius. You’ll get them next time Hungary! Shout out to the Mauritius captain and opener for carrying his bat through a tense run chase.
The festival of cricket that is the Street Child Cricket World Cup 2023 is underway – you do not want to miss it. We’ll share updates on each round of games here, as well as live streaming ALL matches on our YouTube channel.
RESULTS:
Group A
Bangladesh v. Sri Lanka – won by 16 runs
Hungary v. Mauritius – won by 6 wickets
Burundi v. South Africa – won by 6 wickets
Bangladesh v. Hungary – won by 50 runs
Group B
Nepal v. Mexico – won by 5 wickets
Rwanda v. Uganda – won by 6 wickets
England v. Zimbabwe – won by 15 runs
Nepal v. Rwanda – won by 5 wickets
Group C
India Tigers v. India Crocodiles – won by 6 wickets
India Panthers v. India Cats – won by 6 wickets
India Cats v. India Lions – won by 32 runs
India Crocodiles v. India Panthers – won by 5 wickets
India Cats v. India Tigers – won by 45 runs
