The ICC announced on Tuesday that India would play Pakistan in their ICC T20 World Cup opener on October 24 in Dubai.
India’s next opponent, according to the International Cricket Council (ICC), will be New Zealand on October 31 in Dubai, followed by a match against Afghanistan on November 3 in Abu Dhabi.
India’s last two Super 12 matches are against the winner of Group B (November 5 in Dubai) and the second-placed team in Group A (November 8 in Dubai) (November 8 in Dubai).
On October 17, the tournament’s opening round begins in Oman, with the hosts facing Papua New Guinea and Bangladesh facing Scotland.
Sri Lanka, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Namibia are in Group A, while Bangladesh, Scotland, Papua New Guinea, and Oman are in Group B.
Each group’s top two teams will advance to the Super 12 round.
The Super 12s, the second round of the competition, will begin on October 23, with Australia taking on South Africa in Abu Dhabi and England taking on the defending winners, the West Indies, in Dubai.
The first semifinal will take place on November 10 in Abu Dhabi, while the second will take place on November 11 in Dubai.
The final will be place on November 14 in Dubai, with November 15 set aside as a reserve day.
Since a third wave of the COVID-19 is expected at the time of the competition, it is being hosted by India in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman.
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam is looking forward to the start of the season and believes his team would feel at ease in the UAE after playing there on a regular basis.
“The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 is like a home tournament for Pakistan, since the UAE has hosted us for more than a decade.” “In the UAE, we have not only fostered our talent and improved our side, but we have also defeated the best teams in these circumstances to reach the top of the ICC T20I Team Rankings,” he added.
“All of the players are ecstatic, driven, and eager, and they see this tournament as a chance to show off our skills and re-establish our dominance in the shortest format of the game under the most favourable circumstances.”
“From a personal standpoint, this will be my first ICC big tournament as captain of Pakistan.” “I had success in 2017 and disappointment in 2019, when we lost out on a semi-final place by a fraction of a point after defeating both finalists in league matches,” Azam said.
Kieron Pollard, the West Indies captain, is keen to defend his 2016 championship, which he earned by defeating England in a thrilling final at Eden Gardens, with Carlos Brathwaite smashing four consecutive sixes in the last over to turn the tables.
“We have a very intriguing Super 12 group, with Australia, England, and South Africa as our opponents.” We’re excited to get started! West Indian players have always played an entertaining style of cricket, and I am certain that our supporters in the Caribbean and across the globe are eager to watch us in action,’ he added.
The T20 World Cup, according to England captain Eoin Morgan, will be a tightly fought tournament.
“The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will be fantastic.” T20 cricket is growing more popular throughout the globe, and every country has a chance to win the World Cup. It promises to be one of the most competitive and close-knit global tournaments ever, and we can’t wait to get started.”