ICC men’s T20 World Cup returns on Sunday with 16 sides looking to emulate the West Indies who lifted the trophy in 2016. The big cricket event returns to the pitch after Five years, and the excitement is not only for the fans but also to the teams to play to the fans gallery.
India heads to the T20 World cup with a talented X1 and are considered a legitimate contender for the and it only needs to show a bit of maturity to claim the trophy.
The Super 12 action kicks off on October 23 with Australia against South Africa, one of the sport’s iconic rivalries, followed by a day/night affair at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium between England and the West Indies — a repeat of 2016 final when Carlos Brathwaite announced himself to the world.
India will open their T20 World Cup campaign against archrivals Pakistan on October 24
Bangladesh arrives into the tournament with nine T20I wins in the calendar year, just behind South Africa who have 12. In fact, since losing to New Zealand in March away from home, Bangladesh have been close to unstoppable in T20Is, registering series wins over Zimbabwe (2-1), Australia (4-1) and New Zealand (3-2).
Among the first-round sides are Sri Lanka, who have played and won more matches in ICC men’s T20 World Cup history than any other team, and Bangladesh, the other ever-present among the eight.
Bangladesh will be in action on the opening day against Scotland, but it all kicks off with hosts Oman taking on debutants Papua New Guinea at the Al Amerat Cricket Stadium.
Those four sides are in Group B, while in Group A, Ireland and Netherlands face off in a potentially crucial match on Monday, with Sri Lanka going up against Namibia later in the day.
With 12 games across the first six days, the action will come thick and fast to decide which teams will make it through to the Super 12 where Group 1 looks like a blockbuster with defending champions, the West Indies, reigning one-day world champions England, and heavyweights Australia and South Africa.
They will be joined by the winners of Group A and the runners-up in Group B.
Australia have the best record of any team not to have won the competition, with three semi-final appearances and one runners-up finish in 2010, beaten by England in the final.
Leading the Pakistan unit in the upcoming T20 World Cup, ace batter Babar Azam will look to deliver the country its second title. The team will start its campaign against India on October 24 at the Dubai International Stadium and will then take on New Zealand and Afghanistan in the Super 12 stage, along with two qualifiers from Round 1.
The T20 Cricket World Cup Format 2021
The tournament will be played in two rounds. The first round will feature eight teams, split into two groups:
Group A: Sri Lanka, Ireland, Netherlands and Namibia
Group B: Bangladesh, Scotland, Papua New Guinea and Oman
Each team will play every other team in its group once. After 12 matches in Al Amerat, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi, the top two teams from each group will progress to the next round, the Super 12s, where they will join the eight top-ranked T20I sides. In the Super 12s phase, the teams will once again be divided into two groups.
Group 1: England, Australia, South Africa, West Indies, A1 and B2
Group 2: India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Afghanistan, B1 and A2
Again, teams will play each of the others in its group once. This round will comprise 30 matches, to be played in Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The top two teams from each group will progress to the semi-finals.
