The fixtures for the ninth edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup were revealed on Friday with the event to be co-hosted by the West Indies and the USA from June 1- 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.
The event commences with the two co-hosts starting their campaigns on the first two days of June. The USA will take on Canada in the tournament opener at the Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium in Dallas on Saturday 1 June, while the West Indies will kickstart their campaign against Papua New Guinea at the Guyana National Stadium on Sunday 2 June.
One of cricket’s biggest rivalries will take place in one of the world’s most iconic cities, with New York to host India and Pakistan on Sunday, 9 June. The 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.
Defending champions England will begin their title defence on June 4 in Barbados against Scotland and 2022 finalists, Pakistan, will get their challenge going on June 6, when they play the USA in Dallas.
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 Monday 3 June, while England will go up against archrivals Australia in Barbados on Saturday 8 June. Another highly anticipated fixture will see the West Indies taking on New Zealand on Wednesday 12 June at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad and Tobago.
First-time Qualifiers Uganda will play their first ever ICC Men’s T20 World Cup fixture in Guyana against Afghanistan on June 3. Nepal, who qualified for the T20 World Cup for the first time since 2014, will open their campaign against Sri Lanka in one of four matches to be played at Broward County Stadium in Lauderhill, Florida.
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 popular Caribbean tourist destinations 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 June 27, respectively. The final will be held at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on June 29.
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.”
CWI Chief Executive Johnny Grave said: “The announcement of the match schedule for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 marks a significant milestone in our preparations for this year’s tournament. We know that teams, fans and cricket enthusiasts worldwide have been eagerly awaiting this announcement, and now that it is available, it provides a roadmap for the thrilling journey that lies ahead. “In addition to the match fixtures, the announcement also highlights the host countries and iconic venues that will set the stage for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Each host country and city will bring its own unique flavour to the tournament, and fans from every corner of the globe can expect an exciting blend of T20 cricketing entertainment, local culture and warm hospitality. “From classic rivalries to history making upsets and continental showdowns, fans can start looking forward to an action-packed month of games at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup next June, and we encourage everyone to get tickets as soon as they go on sale as we expect the demand to be high.”
The Chair of T20 World Cup Incorporated, the entity established in the USA to deliver the event, Peter Hutton said: “The USA is already one of cricket’s biggest audiences for ICC events and bringing the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup to New York City, Dallas and Florida is a massive opportunity to exponentially grow the sport. We’ve got three fantastic venues to host matches and we strongly encourage fans in the USA and around the world to start planning to secure their tickets for what will be a unique cricket spectacle featuring the best players in the world.”
Vijay Srinivasan, co-Founder, Major League Cricket said: “Major League Cricket is delighted to host the marquee opening match for the biggest-ever ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at the premier MLC venue, Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium in North Texas. “We know that cricket fans from across the country will be out in force on June 1 as the United States hosts Canada in the curtain-raiser for the tournament. The match will mark a new chapter in a rivalry dating back longer than any other in international cricket, all the way to 1844. “In addition, we can’t wait to welcome fans from Pakistan, the Netherlands, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to the Lone Star State for a further three matches at Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium where many of the stars of Major League Cricket will be playing for their countries.”
(Courtesy CWI Media)
GROUPS:
Group A – India, Pakistan, Ireland, Canada, United States
Group B – England, Australia, Namibia, Scotland, Oman
Group C – New Zealand, West Indies, Afghanistan, Uganda, Papua New Guinea
Group D – South Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the Netherlands, Nepal
(The top two teams from each group progress to the Super Eights.)
FIXTURES:
June 1 – USA vs Canada (Dallas)
June 2 – West Indies vs Papua New Guinea (Guyana)
June 2 – Namibia vs Oman (Barbados)
June 3 – Sri Lanka vs South Africa (New York)
June 3 – Afghanistan vs Uganda (Guyana)
June 4 – England vs Scotland (Barbados)
June 4 – Netherlands vs Nepal (Dallas)
June 5 – India vs Ireland (New York)
June 5 – Papua New Guinea vs Uganda (Guyana)
June 5 – Australia vs Oman (Barbados)
June 6 – USA vs Pakistan (Dallas)
June 6 – Namibia vs Scotland (Barbados)
June 7 – Canada vs Ireland (New York)
June 7 – New Zealand vs Afghanistan (Guyana)
June 7 – Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh (Dallas)
June 8 – Netherlands vs South Africa (New York)
June 8 – Australia vs England (Barbados)
June 8 – West Indies vs Uganda (Guyana)
June 9 – India vs Pakistan (New York)
June 9 – Oman vs Scotland (Antigua
June 10 – South Africa vs Bangladesh (New York
June 11 – Pakistan vs Canada (New York)
June 11 – Sri Lanka vs Nepal (Florida)
June 11 – Australia vs Namibia (Antigua)
June 12 – USA vs India (New York)
June 12 – West Indies vs New Zealand (T&T)
June 13 – England vs Oman (Antigua)
June 13 – Bangladesh vs Netherlands (St Vincent)
June 13 – Afghanistan vs Papua New Guinea (T&T)
June 14 – USA vs Ireland (Florida)
June 14 – South Africa vs Nepal (St Vincent)
June 14 – New Zealand vs Uganda (T&T)
June 15 – India vs Canada (Florida)
June 15 – Namibia vs England (Antigua)
June 15 – Australia vs Scotland (St Lucia)
June 16 – Pakistan vs Ireland (Florida)
June 16 – Bangladesh vs Nepal (St Vincent)
June 16 – Sri Lanka vs Netherlands (St Lucia)
June 17 – New Zealand vs Papua New Guinea (T&T)
June 17 – West Indies vs Afghanistan (St Lucia)
(Super Eights)
June 19 – A2 v D1 (Antigua)
June 19 – B1 v C2 (St Lucia)
June 20 – C1 v A1 (Barbados)
June 20 – B2 v D2 (Antigua)
June 21 – B1 v D1 (St Lucia)
June 21 – A2 v C2 (Barbados)
June 22 – A1 v D2 (Antigua)
June 22 – C1 v B2 (St Vincent)
June 23 – A2 v B1 (Barbados)
June 23 – C2 v D1 (Antigua)
June 24 – B2 v A1 (St Lucia)
June 24 – C1 v D2 (St Vincent)
(Semi-finals & Final)
June 26 – Semi-final 1 (Guyana)
June 27 – Semi-final 2 (T&T)
June 29 – Final (Barbados)
