Life Lessons From the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023

The ODI Cricket World Cup 2023 has recently ended, and with it, the hopes of 1.4 billion Indians for winning the World Cup. Australia emerged as the proud winner of the World Cup title, defeating India in the final. The tagline of the World Cup was ‘It Takes One Day’. And indeed, it was that one day when India lost the match, and Australia created history.

The World Cup was exciting and full of thrilling moments with valuable lessons. There are some very important life lessons that we can learn from the ICC Cricket ODI World Cup 2023.

1. Never underestimate anyone

South Africa was a favorite for the World Cup 2023, as they had a great season at home against Australia before the World Cup and all their players were playing fantastic cricket recently. South Africa had a great start in the tournament, winning their first two matches against Sri Lanka and Australia with big margins. But then came the match against Netherlands and they lost it. Netherlands was a new team and it was underrated. No one expected them to win. And maybe South Africa took them lightly and lost the match. Netherlands played well and deserved the victory. So, never underestimate anyone in life and always give your best.

2. Learn to be passionate about what you do

There was one team in the World Cup 2023 that grabbed everyone’s attention. This team was underestimated at the beginning of the tournament, but at one point, it was on the verge of qualifying in the top 4 position. This team was Afghanistan. They played with passion and enthusiasm throughout the tournament and won many hearts. No one would have guessed that this team would beat the world champion teams like England, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan. And it could have beaten Australia if Glenn Maxwell had not played his once-in-a-lifetime innings in that match. Afghanistan taught us that if you work passionately and enjoy what you do, you can achieve great things.

3. Your past success doesn’t define your present

England was one of the favorites at the beginning of the tournament, as they were the defending world champions and were playing good cricket. But England lost their first match against New Zealand, and then they lost to Afghanistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, etc. And they lost five games in a row. In the beginning, they were favorites for winning the World Cup, and now they were in trouble for even finishing in the top 8 teams so they could qualify for the ICC Champions Trophy. But they won their last two games and managed to finish at seventh position in the table. So, no matter what your past successes are, your present is not defined by your past. Life always shows up with new challenges, and you need to be at your best and face them each day.

4. People only remember you by how you treat them and others

There was an interesting incident in the match between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka where Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan appealed for time out against Sri Lankan player Angelo Matthews. And Angelo Matthews was given out as timed out by the umpire. It was the first incident in the history of cricket where a batsman was given out as timed out. It appeared that there was no fault of Angelo Matthews, as he was at the crease before time. But his helmet strap was broken, and he called for a new helmet without asking the umpire. Shakib appealed for time out, and Matthews was given out by the umpire. Shakib could have withdrawn the appeal, but he did not do so even though the reason for Mathews’ delay was genuine. There were many discussions on this for the entire tournament on whether it was right or wrong, and there were several people who spoke against it. So, people always remember how you behave and how you treat them and others. It defines you as a person.

5. Things can turn around anytime

The match between Afghanistan and Australia will always be remembered for the brilliant innings of Glenn Maxwell. Afghanistan had a good score of 291 on the board, and Australia had lost seven wickets very early at the score of 91. Everyone was sure that Afghanistan would win this match and create history. But then came the innings of a lifetime by Glenn Maxwell. At one point in the game, Maxwell could not even run, but he did not give up. Glenn Maxwell played a magnificent innings and scored a double century. He was 201 not out at the end and won the game for Australia. So, never take things for granted. Times can change, and things can turn around anytime. That’s life.

6. Learn to handle pressure calmly

India entered the final of the World Cup with ten successive wins. And everyone was expecting India to create history. You can’t imagine the pressure when you have one lac people in the stadium and over one billion people expecting you to perform well and win the World Cup. And that’s where India stumbled. They could not handle the pressure of the finals. After losing three wickets, India was under tremendous pressure and could not recover. Every time it looked like India was getting back in the game, India lost a wicket and went back under pressure again. Even though Virat Kohli and KL Rahul played fine innings, and India did their best, India still lost. It hurt me a lot too. But it’s part of the game. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Hence, it’s important to handle pressure calmly and not let it affect your performance.

7. Focus and strategy are very important

Australia did not start well in the tournament. They lost their first two games and the first was against India. But they came back strongly after that and qualified for the final match. Australia would have been under enormous pressure too, for the final, because one lac people in the stadium cheering against you is not easy to handle. And on the eve of the final, Australian skipper Pat Cummins said that their aim was to silence the crowd in the final. Australia came with a different field strategy, and they were focused on each and every delivery. Their fielding was excellent and they remained focused and followed their plan. And at times, on the wickets of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, there was silence on the ground. Australia managed to follow their strategy, remain focused, handle the pressure, silence the crowd and eventually win the title. So, planning and focus are essential elements that can help us accomplish our goals and greatly impact our success in life.

Sports is always a great teacher. It teaches us important life lessons and helps us build strength and resilience. Life is like a game, and winning and losing is all part of life. Whether we win or lose, we should always learn from it and move forward with passion and enthusiasm.