Dubai, Aug 17 (UNI) The 2021 ICC men's T20 World Cup, to be held in UAE and Oman, will get underway from October 17 with the final being played on November 14, the world cricket governing body announced on Tuesday.
The tournament will begin with the Round 1 Group B encounter between hosts Oman and Papua New Guinea (PNG) on October 17, with Scotland and Bangladesh, the other teams in Group B, clashing in the evening match.
Ireland, Netherlands, Sri Lanka and Namibia - making up Group A - will be in action in Abu Dhabi the next day, with Round 1 matches running till October 22. The top two teams in each group will proceed to the Super 12 stage of the tournament, beginning on October 23.
As per ICC release, the second round of the tournament – the Super12 stage – will get underway in Abu Dhabi on October 23, with the Group 1 contest between Australia and South Africa. This will be followed up with an evening clash between England and West Indies in Dubai.
Old rivals England and Australia will lock horns in Dubai on October 30. The group will conclude on November 6 with matches between Australia and West Indies in Abu Dhabi, and England and South Africa in Sharjah.
Group 2 will commence with a heavyweight clash between India and Pakistan in Dubai on October 24. Pakistan then take on New Zealand in Sharjah on October 26, in a tough start for the 2009 champions. Afghanistan begin their campaign on October 25 at Sharjah, taking on the winners of Group B from the first round.
The group will conclude on November 8, with India taking on the second-placed Round 1 qualifier from Group A.
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. Both semi-finals have reserve days.
The marquee clash of the tournament will take place in Dubai on November 14, Sunday, with Monday acting as the reserve day for the final.
West Indies captain Kieron Pollard is promising exciting cricket, the type that helped them defeat England in a pulsating final at the Eden Gardens in 2016 with Carlos Brathwaite blasting four consecutive sixes in the last over to turn the tables on 2010 champions England.
'We are excited to begin defence of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup title later this year. T20 cricket is dynamic and the international scene is highly competitive, with players constantly pushing the boundaries of innovation and we are expecting a spectacular event in the United Arab Emirates and Oman,' said Pollard.
All day matches are scheduled for 1400 hrs local time and the day-night matches are slated for 1800 hrs local time (+4 GMT).
The groupings:
Round 1
Group A: Sri Lanka, Ireland, the Netherlands and Namibia
Group B: Bangladesh, Scotland, Papua New Guinea and Oman
(Top two teams from each group advance to Super 12s)
Super 12s
Group 1: England, Australia, South Africa, West Indies, A1 and B2.
Group 2: India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Afghanistan, A2 and B1.
(Top two teams from each group advance to the semi-finals)
Complete schedule:
Round 1
Oct 17: Oman v Papua New Guinea, Muscat (14h00); Bangladesh v Scotland, Muscat (1800 hrs)
Oct 18: Ireland v Netherlands, Abu Dhabi (14h00); Sri Lanka v Namibia, Abu Dhabi (1800 hrs)
Oct 19: Scotland v PNG, Muscat (14h00); Oman v Bangladesh, Muscat (1800 hrs)
Oct 20: Namibia v Netherlands, Abu Dhabi (14h00); Sri Lanka v Ireland, Abu Dhabi (1800 hrs)
Oct 21: Bangladesh v Papua New Guinea, Muscat (14h00); Oman v Scotland, Muscat (1800 hrs)
Oct 22: Namibia v Ireland, Sharjah (14h00); Sri Lanka v Netherlands, Sharjah (1800 hrs)
Super 12s
Oct 23: Australia v South Africa, Abu Dhabi (14h00); England v West Indies, Dubai (1800 hrs)
Oct 24: A1 v B2, Sharjah (14h00); India v Pakistan, Dubai (1800 hrs)
Oct 25: Afghanistan v B1, Sharjah (1800 hrs)
Oct 26: South Africa v West Indies, Dubai (14h00); Pakistan v New Zealand, Sharjah (18h00)
Oct 27: England v B2, Abu Dhabi (14h00); B1 v A2, Abu Dhabi (18h00)
Oct 28: Australia v A1, Dubai (1400 hrs)
Oct 29: West Indies v B2, Sharjah (14h00); Pakistan v Afghanistan, Dubai (1800 hrs)
Oct 30: South Africa v A1, Sharjah (14h00); Australia v England, Dubai (1800 hrs)
Oct 31: Afghanistan v A2, Abu Dhabi (14h00); India v New Zealand, Dubai (18h00)
Nov 1: England v A1, Sharjah (1800 hrs)
Nov 2: South Africa v B2, Abu Dhabi (1400 hrs); Pakistan v A2, Abu Dhabi (1800 hrs)
Nov 3: New Zealand v B1, Dubai (1400 hrs); India v Afghanistan, Abu Dhabi (1800 hrs)
Nov 4: Australia v B2, Dubai (1400 hrs); West indies v A1, Abu Dhabi (1800 hrs)
Nov 5: New Zealand v A2, Sharjah (1400 hrs); India v B1, Dubai (1800 hrs)
Nov 6: Australia v West Indies, Abu Dhabi (1400 hrs); England v South Africa, Sharjah (1800 hrs)
7 Nov: New Zealand v Afghanistan, Abu Dhabi (1400 hrs): Pakistan v B1, Sharjah (1800 hrs)
8 Nov: India v A2, Dubai (1800 hrs)
Knock-out stage
10 Nov: Semi-final 1 (A1 v B2), Abu Dhabi (1800 hrs)
11 Nov: Semi-final 2 (B1 v A2), Dubai (1800 hrs)
14 Nov: Final, Dubai (1800 hrs)
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