New Delhi, May 17: India are set to play their Men’s T20 World Cup warm-up game against Bangladesh at a yet to be decided location in the USA on June 1, said the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday.
India, captained by Rohit Sharma, were the inaugural winners of the Men’s T20 World Cup in 2007 and are aiming to claim the silverware in the upcoming edition of the tournament hosted by the West Indies and USA, who were awarded joint hosting rights of the competition in 2021.
The warm-up match fixtures for the Men’s T20 World Cup, as released by ICC, are scheduled to be held from May 27 to June 1 across the USA and Trinidad and Tobago. The venues hosting the 16 warm-up matches are Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium in Texas, Broward County Stadium in Florida, Queen’s Park Oval and Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad and Tobago.
ICC informed a total of 17 teams will play the warm-up games, including South Africa, who are playing an intra-squad on June 29 in Florida. The warm-up fixtures will be 20 overs per side and will not have international T20 status, allowing teams to field all members of their 15-player squad.
In a departure from the previous cycle, teams can now choose to play up to two warm-up matches, depending on their arrival time for the showpiece event.
ICC added the warm-up match between the West Indies and Australia at Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad and Tobago on May 30 will be open to fans.Tickets can be purchased at the official ticketing website or at box offices located at the National Cricket Centre and Queen’s Park Oval from May 16 onwards. The 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup will open on June 1 with a clash between co-hosts USA and neighbours Canada.
The 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup will be held across six venues in the West Indies and three stadiums in USA. In the Caribbean, Kensington Oval in Barbados, Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad, Providence Stadium in Guyana, Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua, Darren Sammy Cricket Ground in St Lucia and Arnos Vale Stadium, St Vincent will be the hosts.
In the USA, apart from New York, Broward County in Lauderhill, Florida and Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, Texas, will be the venues. West Indies, the two-time winners of the Men’s T20 World Cup, will be hosting the ninth edition of the tournament after first playing the hosts for the competition in 2010, while this is the first time USA will be hosting an ICC tournament.
The 20 teams will be divided into four groups of five each for the first round. Top two teams from each group will qualify for the Super eight stage, where teams will be split into two groups of four each. Teams seeded first and second in their groups in the first round will retain that seeding in the Super Eight, provided they qualify.
A1, B2, C1 and D2 finishers will be in one group, while A2, B1, C2 and D1 will be slotted in the other group. The top two sides from two groups of the Super eight will advance for the semifinals. The semifinals will be held in Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago on June 26 and 27 respectively, while the final will be held in Barbados on June 29.
As the tournament unfolds across diverse venues in the USA and the Caribbean, cricket enthusiasts can expect a showcase of talent, strategy, and sportsmanship, culminating in a grand finale in Barbados.
The stage is set for a cricketing spectacle that will captivate audiences and leave an indelible mark on the sport’s storied legacy. (IANS)
