Video Editor: Abhishek Sharma
The ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 officially kick started on Wednesday, 29 May, with a stupendous opening ceremony in front of the Buckingham Palace in London.
The ceremony was hosted by the former England cricketer, Andrew Flintoff and Shibani Dandekar from India.
The Beginning
The ceremony started with all the 10 captains being welcomed on the stage. The call started with the Afghanistan skipper and ended with Indian Captain, Virat Kohli making their way onto the stage.
Speaking on the occasion, England captain Eoin Morgan said they can’t wait to start, while Kohli acknowledged the support of the Indian fans in England and said they will look to use this support in their favor and not take too much pressure.
The 60-Second Challenge
Next-up was a 60 second challenge where players, in pairs, had to score as many runs as possible in a minute. The pair had to rotate strike after every ball.
Farhaan Akhtar and Anil Kumble represented India in the game. Sir Viv Richards, Bret Lee, Jacques Kallis and Kevin Pietersen were also part of the game among others.
While it was the pair of Kevin Pietersen and Chris Hughes for England that won the game after scoring 74 runs, India, represented by Farhaan Akhtar and Anil Kumble finished last, having scored just 19 runs.
Team Wise Score
1. India - 19
2. England - 74
3. Australia - 69
4. West Indies - 47
5. Afghanistan - 52
6. Pakistan - 38
7. South Africa - 48
8. Bangladesh - 22
9. New Zealand - 32
10. Sri Lanka - 43
After the challenge, Malala Yousafzai motivated women to take up sports and said they need to look up to women like Sana Mir ( Pakistan Women Team Captain) and believe in themselves that they can do anything.
The Trophy
The Trophy was officially presented by the 2015 World Cup winning capatin, Michael Clarke. He said the 2015 World Cup was very special and one of the fondest memories of his career.
He also mentioned that five to six teams have a real chance to win the title this season, while assuring that the tournament will be nothing short of terrific.
The End
The ceremony came to a fitting end after the performance of singer Loryn where she sang the official World Cup song “Stand BY”. The crowd was ever energetic and was seen dancing and cheering with every beat.
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