KARACHI, Pakistan: Arch-rival Pakistan and India are drawn in the same super ten group of next year’s ICC World Twenty20 being staged at various venues of India from March 8 to April 3, International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Friday.
A total of 58 tournament matches, including 35 men’s matches and 23 women’s matches, will be played in the 27-day tournament in Bengaluru, Chennai, Dharamsala, Kolkata, Mohali, Mumbai, Nagpur and New Delhi.
New Delhi and Mumbai will host the semi-finals on March 30 and 31 March, respectively, while Eden Gardens in Kolkata will be the venue of the April 3 finals.
The women’s semi-finals and final will be followed by the men’s knock-out matches. There is a reserve day for the finals.
Zimbabwe to face Hong Kong in tournament opener in Nagpur; Sri Lanka to launch title defence in Kolkata on 17 March; India-Pakistan to go head to head in Dharamsala on 19 March       “India is a country where cricket is a religion and not many places can match the passion for the game like India ” said ICC Chairman Shashank Manohar at the inauguration ceremony.
ICC Chief Executive David Richardson: “The ICC World Twenty20 is an event which puts the world’s best cricketers in the shortest format of the game against each other in a nation versus nation contest.”
The men’s event will carry a total prize money of $5.6 million, which is an 86 per cent increase from the 2014 tournament, while the total prize money for the women’s event is $ 400,000, which is a 122 per cent increase from the Bangladesh event.
There have been five different winners of the men’s event while the England women’s team won the inaugural tournament at home in 2009 before Australia won three straight titles in the West Indies, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in 2010, 2012 and 2014, respectively.
According to the men’s event format, eight sides in two groups of four, will feature in the first round matches with the group winners joining eight sides in the Super 10 stage (two groups of five teams).
The top two sides from both the Super 10 Groups will then qualify for the semi-finals. In the women’s event, the 10 sides will be divided into two groups and the top two sides from each group will progress to the semi-finals.
The first round matches in the men’s event will take place in Dharamsala and Nagpur from 8-13 March and will feature Bangladesh, Netherlands, Ireland, debutant Oman (all in Group A), Zimbabwe, Scotland, Hong Kong and Afghanistan (all in Group B).
In a double-header on the opening day on 8 March, Zimbabwe will face Hong Kong in the afternoon match, to be followed by the evening match between Scotland and Afghanistan. Both the matches will be played in Nagpur.
The group winners will join Australia, England, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies and host India in the
Super 10 stage, which will be played alongside the women’s event from 15-28 March.
Men’s defending champion Sri Lanka has been placed in Super 10 Group 1 along with South Africa, West Indies, England and the Group B winner.
It will open its title defence against the Group B winner in Kolkata on 17 March, and play West Indies in Bengaluru on 20 March, England in New Delhi on 26 March and South Africa in New Delhi on 28 March.
Host India, which won the inaugural tournament in South Africa in 2007, is in Super 10 Group 2 along with 2009 winner Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand and the Group A winner.
India will launch its campaign in Nagpur against New Zealand on 15 March, while it will go head to head with Pakistan in Dharamsala on 19 March. Its other matches will be against the Group A winner in Bengaluru on 23 March and Australia in Mohali on 27 March.
2009 champion Pakistan will take on the Group A winner in Kolkata on 16 March, before locking horns with traditional rival India in Dharamsala on 19 March. Its remaining two matches will be in Mohali against New Zealand and Australia on 22 and 25 March, respectively.
England, which won the 2010 tournament in the West Indies, takes on 2012 winner the West Indies in Mumbai on 16 March, followed by matches against South Africa (18 March in Mumbai), the Group B winner (23 March in New Delhi) and Sri Lanka (26 March in New Delhi).
After taking on England in its tournament opener, the West Indies will square off against Sri Lanka (20 March in Bengaluru), South Africa (25 March in Nagpur) and the Group B winner (27 March in Nagpur).
Meanwhile, in the women’s tournament, 2009 champion England is in Group B alongwith the West Indies, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, and will start off against Bangladesh in Bengaluru on 17 March. Its other matches will be against India (22 March in Dharamsala), West Indies (24 March in Dharamsala) and Pakistan (27 March in Chennai).
Australia women, who will be bidding to win the title for the fourth straight time, is in Group A along with South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Ireland.
Their opening match will be against South Africa (18 March in Nagpur), followed by matches against New Zealand (21 March in Nagpur), Sri Lanka (24 March in New Delhi) and Ireland (24 March in New Delhi).
The ICC World Twenty20 trophy was also present at the ceremony before it leaves Mumbai for Scotland on 13 December, as part of the Nissan Trophy Tour.
The trophy will return to New Delhi on 1 February after visiting 11 countries. Schedule (Men’s) First round (group winners to progress to second round) Group A – Bangladesh, Netherlands, Ireland and Oman Group B – Zimbabwe, Scotland, Hong Kong and Afghanistan Second round groups:
Super 10 Group 1 – Sri Lanka, South Africa, West Indies, England and winner group B (Q1B)
Super 10 Group 2 – India, Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand and winner group A (Q1A)
Women’s: Group A – Australia (A1), South Africa (A2), New Zealand (A3), Sri Lanka (A4) and Ireland (A5)
Group B – England (B1), West Indies (B2), India (B3), Pakistan (B4) and Bangladesh (B5)
Tournament schedule (M denotes men’s match; W denotes women’s match; PM means afternoon match and Eve. means night match. Match timings to be confirmed in due course)
8 Mar – Zimbabwe v Hong Kong (PM), Nagpur; Scotland v Afghanistan
(Eve.), Nagpur
9 Mar – Bangladesh v Netherlands (PM), Dharamsala; Ireland v Oman
(Eve.), Dharamsala
Thu, 10 Mar – Scotland v Zimbabwe (PM), Nagpur; Hong Kong v
Afghanistan (Eve.)
11 Mar – Netherlands v Oman (PM), Dharamsala; Bangladesh v Ireland
(Eve.), Dharamsala
12 Mar – Zimbabwe v Afghanistan (PM), Nagpur; Scotland v Hong Kong
(Eve.), Nagpur
13 Mar – Netherlands v Ireland (PM), Dharamsala; Bangladesh v Oman
(Eve.), Dharamsala
15 Mar – India v Bangladesh (W) (PM), Bengaluru; New Zealand v Sri
Lanka (W) (Eve.), New Delhi; New Zealand v India (M) (Eve), Nagpur
16 Mar – West Indies v England (M) (PM), Mumbai; Pakistan v Q1A (M)
(Eve.), Kolkata; West Indies v Pakistan (W) (Eve.), Chennai
17 Mar – England v Bangladesh (W) (PM), Bengaluru; Sri Lanka v Q1B (M)
(Eve.), Kolkata
18 Mar – New Zealand v Ireland (W) (PM), Mohali; Australia v New
Zealand (M) (PM), Dharamsala; South Africa v England (M) (Eve.),
Mumbai; Australia v South Africa (W) (Eve.), Nagpur
19 Mar – India v Pakistan (W) (PM), New Delhi; India v Pakistan (M)
(Eve.), Dharamsala
20 Mar – South Africa v Q1B (M) (PM), Mumbai; West Indies v Bangladesh
(W) (PM), Chennai; Sri Lanka v Ireland (W) (Eve.), Mohali; Sri Lanka v
West Indies (M) (Eve.), Bengaluru
Mon, 21 Mar – Australia v New Zealand (W) (PM), Nagpur; Australia v
Q1A (M) (Eve.), Bengaluru
22 Mar – England v India (W) (PM), Dharamsala; New Zealand v Pakistan
(M) (Eve.), Mohali
23 Mar – England v Q1B (M) (PM), New Delhi; India v Q1A (M), (Eve.),
Bengaluru; South Africa v Ireland (W) (Eve.), Chennai
24 Mar – England v West Indies (W) (Eve.), Dharamsala; Australia v Sri
Lanka (W) (PM), New Delhi; Pakistan v Bangladesh (W) (Eve.), New Delhi
25 Mar – Pakistan v Australia (M) (PM), Mohali; South Africa v West
Indies (M), (Eve.), Nagpur
26 Mar – Australia v Ireland (W) (PM), New Delhi; Q1A v New Zealand
(M) (PM), Kolkata; England v Sri Lanka (M) (Eve.), New Delhi; South
Africa v New Zealand (W) (Eve.), Bengaluru
27 Mar – West Indies v India (W) (PM), Mohali; India v Australia (M)
(Eve.), Mohali; England v Pakistan (W) (Eve.), Chennai; Q1B v West
Indies (M) (PM), Nagpur;
28 Mar – South Africa v Sri Lanka (W) (PM), Bengaluru; South Africa v
Sri Lanka (M) (Eve.), New Delhi
Tue, 29 Mar – Rest/travel day
30 Mar – Women’s semi-final (2nd group A v 1st group B) (PM), New
Delhi; men’s semi-final (Super 10 Group 1 2nd v Super 10 Group 2 1st)
(Eve.), New Delhi
31 Mar – Women’s semi-final (1st group A v 2nd group B) (PM), Mumbai;
men’s semi-final (Super 10 Group 1 2nd v Super 10 Group 2 1st) (Eve.),
Mumbai
1 Apr – Rest/travel day
2 Apr – Rest/travel day
3 April – Women’s final (PM), Kolkata; men’s final (Eve.), Kolkata
Source: APP
