The groups for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup were announced on Friday. The marquee cricket tournament will be held from October 17 to November 17. The event is being hosted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, but matches will be held in Oman and the United Arab Emirates.
In a statement, the Internation Cricket Council (ICC) said that the teams had been placed in various groups based on their rankings as of 20 March 2021. Defending champions West Indies have been placed along with former champions England, South Africa and Australia.
India and Pakistan have been placed together in group 2 of the Super 12. They will be joined by New Zealand and Afghanistan.
Also read: India and Pakistan in the same group at T20 World Cup 2021
“Eight teams will contest the first round including automatic qualifiers Sri Lanka and Bangladesh with the remaining six who booked their spot through the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2019,” the ICC said.
Here is a full list of the groups for the T20 World Cup 2021:
Round 1
Group A: Sri Lanka, Ireland, the Netherlands and Namibia.
Group 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.
“With the announcement of groupings, our countdown for the ICC T20 World Cup kickstarts,” said BCCI Secretary Jay Shah. Commenting on the groups, he said that “there is nothing that separates the two groups as both are packed with sides that are highly competitive in the shortest format of the game.”
Speaking about Oman being brought on board to host some matches, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly said, “It is good to get Oman in the frame of world cricket with the hosting of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.”
“It will help a lot of young players take an interest in the game. We know it will be a world-class event in this part of the world,” he added.
Also read: T20 World Cup shifted to UAE from India due to COVID: BCCI President Sourav Ganguly
The last T20 World Cup was played in 2016. West Indies and England made it to the final, which was played at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens, with the former ultimately lifting the winner’s trophy.
