Seven Australian cities to host ICC T20 WC; final in MCG
DUBAI, Nov 16: Seven Australian cities, including Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide, will host the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup from October 16 to November 13 next year.
The other two cities which will in all likelihood host the Round 1 matches include Geelong and Hobart with the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground hosting the final.
“The event which is scheduled to take place between 16 October and 13 November next year will see a total of 45 matches hosted across Adelaide, Brisbane, Geelong, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney,” ICC press release stated.
The semi-finals will be held at the Sydney Cricket Ground and Adelaide Oval on November 9 and 10, respectively.
Among the countries that have directly qualified for the Super 12 are defending champions Australia and runner-up New Zealand.
Along with the finalists, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, England, India, Pakistan and South Africa, which are the next highest ranked teams, will gain direct entry into the Super 12 stage. Namibia, Scotland, Sri Lanka and the two-time champions West Indies will play in Round 1.
The four remaining spots at Australia 2022 will be filled via the ongoing qualification pathway, culminating in two global qualifying tournaments one to take place in Oman in February and the other in Zimbabwe in June/July. (PTI)
Pak to host Champions Trophy
DUBAI, Nov 16: Major cricket event will return to Pakistan after more than two decades with the country set to host the 2025 Champions Trophy, an ICC flagship tournament.
The ICC board on Tuesday awarded the hosting rights of the 2025 Champions Trophy to Pakistan, while picking United States and West Indies as co-host of the 2024 T20 World Cup.
This will be the first ever global event hosted in North America. According to the announcement, India will get to host three ICC events in the next cycle, including the 2026 T20 World Cup and 2031 50-over World Cup, where the country will be Co hosts along with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh respectively.
India will also host the 2029 Champions Trophy singularly.
Pakistan, who had last co-hosted the 1996 World Cup along with India and Sri Lanka, have not been able to host many international games in the country since the 2009 terrorist attack on Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore.
The Champions Trophy was last held in UK in 2017 and it will be making its return in the ICC calender after a gap of eight years.
New Zealand and England have recently pulled out of a tour of the country and it will be interesting to see if teams finally get ready to travel to Pakistan. (PTI)
Eng, Aus fly together for the Ashes
BRISBANE, Nov 16: England’s multi-format Ashes bound players had an interesting flight to Queensland with newly crowned T20 champions and bitter rivals Australia as the two sides prepare for the marquee event, starting next month.
The likes of Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Chris Woakes and Mark Wood and members of the English coaching staff landed here on Tuesday alongside the victorious Australian side in same charter flight, according to cricket.com.au.
The flight was booked to ensure both squads comply with COVID-19 protocols before entering quarantine on the Gold Coast.
England were primed to win the T20 World Cup after a splendid Super 12 performance that included an eight-wicket mauling of Australia but the Eoin Morgan-led side fell to New Zealand in the semi-final.
Australia, on the other hand, peaked at the right time and defeated Trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand in the final on Sunday to win their maiden T20 World Cup. (PTI)
4 new faces in B’desh T20 squad
Dhaka, Nov 16: Bangladesh called up four newcomers in its 16-man squad to play Pakistan in three Twenty20s this month.
The sweeping changes were in response to the disappointing performances at the T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates and Oman where Bangladesh failed to register a victory in the Super 12s. Bangladesh was also beaten by Scotland in the preliminary round.
The T20 series begins on November 19 in Dhaka. The second is on November 20 and the finale on November 22 at the same venue. (PTI)