ICC T20 World Cup set to begin on October 17
The ICC T20 World Cup is set to start from October 17 onwards in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). As per ESPNcricinfo. the 16-team tournament will take place right after the remainder of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 season in the UAE itself. Notably, the T20 World Cup final will be held on November 14. Here are further details on the same.
First round of T20 WC to be split across groups
The T20 WC was supposed to be held in India but has been shifted to the UAE amid the coronavirus pandemic. The report states that the BCCI is yet to write to the ICC officially about shifting the event to the UAE. The first round of the T20 WC will be split across two groups and played in the UAE and Oman.
ICC was looking at a venue besides the UAE
The UAE is on standby to host the T20 World Cup. UAE will also be hosting the remainder of the IPL 2021 season in September-October. To ease the workload on the UAE, the ICC is also looking at Oman to host a few matches. As per reports, the ICC had approached Oman for the same, and talks were progressing with BCCI as well.
Key details about the Round 1
Round 1 of the T20 World Cup will include 12 matches. This will comprise eight teams from which four (top two from each group) would qualify for the Super 12s. Four teams out of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Netherlands, Scotland, Namibia, Oman, and Papua New Guinea will then progress to the Super 12s. They will then join the top eight ranked T20I teams.
Key details about the Super 12s
Meanwhile, the Super 12s phase will comprise of 30 matches. This is scheduled to begin from October 24 onwards. The Super 12s will see teams being split across two groups of six each. As per ESPNcricinfo, they will be played at three venues - Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah. The two semi-finals and the final will follow the Super 12s.
Why did the ICC think about shifting a few matches?
There are three venues in the UAE to host cricket and after the IPL, the burden on the pitched will be massive. To ease the burden, the ICC contemplated shifting some games to another nation like Oman. The pitches won't last for two successive tournaments with more than 70 matches on offer.
BCCI retains hosting rights regardless of venue
Earlier in June, the ICC said that a final decision on the venue for the T20 World Cup will be taken later this month. The governing body also clarified that the BCCI will retain the hosting rights regardless of the venue.
