Dubai: The co-hosts USA and Canada will kick-start the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Dallas on June 1, while Asian giants India will meet Pakistan in their group game in New York on June 9, according to the fixtures released by the International Cricket Council on Friday.
Defending champions England, who will begin their campaign against Scotland in Barbados on June 4, and 2021 winners Australia have been paired together in Group B of the showpiece, which will conclude in Barbados on June 29.
The pinnacle ICC men’s T20 event will see a record 20 teams divided into four groups competing across 55 games for the right to be crowned ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Champions 2024, including co-hosts the West Indies and the USA, together with the other qualifiers: Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, England, India, Ireland, Namibia, Nepal, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Oman, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Scotland, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Uganda.
West Indies face PNG in opener
The West Indies will kick-start their campaign against Papua New Guinea at the Guyana National Stadium on June 2, while 2022 finalists, Pakistan, will get their challenge going on June 6, when they play the USA in Dallas. India, who lost to champions England in the semi-finals, will begin their campaign against Ireland on June 5 in New York.
One of cricket’s biggest rivalries will take place in one of the world’s most iconic cities, with New York. The India-Pakistan fixture will be played in a cutting-edge 34,000-seat modular stadium just 30 miles east of downtown Manhattan in Nassau County, New York. Eight matches will be played at the venue.
Among the plethora of blockbuster matchups scheduled in the group stage, fans can look forward to Sri Lanka taking on South Africa in New York on June 3, while England will go up against arch-rivals Australia in Barbados on June 8. Another highly anticipated fixture will see the West Indies taking on New Zealand on June 12 at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad and Tobago.
Group B: England, Australia, Namibia, Scotland and Oman.
Group C: New Zealand, the West Indies, Afghanistan, Uganda and Papua New Guinea.
Group D: South Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the Netherlands and Nepal.
Upon completion of the group stage, the top two teams from each of the four groups will move into the Super Eight stage of the competition. Teams seeded first and second in their groups in the first round will retain that seeding in the Super Eight, provided they qualify. Super Eight matches are scheduled to be played in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
The two top teams from each group in the Super Eight will progress to the semi-finals, which will be held in Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago on June 26 and 27 respectively. The final will be held at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on June 29.
Incredible spectacle
ICC Chief Executive, Geoff Allardice said: “The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 marks an exciting expansion of our sport with more teams than ever before set to compete in this event. It’s going to be an incredible spectacle bringing together 20 international teams from Africa, the Americas, Asia, East-Asia Pacific and Europe.
“The release of the fixtures is made even more exciting for fans as we enter a new frontier, with the USA hosting a major ICC event for the first time. With 16 matches being played across three venues in the USA, it allows us to make a statement in the world’s biggest sports market.
“It will also be great to have an ICC event back in the West Indies, which has such a rich history of the game. It has hosted World Cups with great success in the past and this tournament will certainly provide a boost to the game there, especially with the final being played in Barbados.”
