The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday announced the schedule for the upcoming T20 World Cup. Arch-rivals India and Pakistan will open their campaigns against each other on October 24. The World Cup, held in Oman and United Arab Emirates (UAE) will kick off on October 17 and go on till November 14.
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The first match of the tournament will be a Round 1 Group B encounter between hosts Oman and Papua New Guinea. Scotland and Bangladesh will clash later on October 17. Group A comprising of Ireland, Netherlands, Sri Lanka and Namibia, will play in Abu Dhabi. The top two teams of each group will proceed to the Super 12 stage.
The Super 12 stage starts on October 23 with the Group 1 contest between Australia and South Africa. West Indies and England are the other teams in the Group.
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Group 2 consists of Pakistan, India, New Zealand and Afghanistan. The group matches will conclude on November 8. The first semi-final will be held in Abu Dhabi on November 10. The second semi-final will be hosted by Dubai on November 11. The final of the tournament will take place in Dubai on November 14. All the knock-out games – semifinals and final – have reserve days.
Round 1
Group A: Sri Lanka, Ireland, the Netherlands and NamibiaGroup B: Bangladesh, Scotland, Papua New Guinea and Oman
Super 12s
Group 1: England, Australia, South Africa, West Indies, A1 and B2.Group 2: India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Afghanistan, A2 and B1.
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The last time the two sides faced each other, they were fighting for the 2019 World Cup trophy in the United Kingdom. The winner of the match was decided with the Duckworth method (DNL) after rain interrupted the game. India won by a margin of 89 runs.
India has clashed with Pakistan in the T20 World Cup four times so far, winning every match. The 2007 T20 World Cup, which was also the first of its kind, was played between the two teams. India won the game by a margin of five runs. The remaining three matches happened in 2009, 2012 and 2016.
