NEW DELHI: A new chapter will unfold in one of the oldest rivalries in cricket history as India will square off against Pakistan on June 9 in New York as the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Friday announced the schedule for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
ICC announced the schedule for the competition on Friday.
The tournament will kick off on June 1 and will be co-hosted by the West Indies and the US. India have been placed in Group A alongside Ireland, Pakistan, Canada and the US.
Ten of the 20 teams will play their first match of the 29-day tournament in the USA, with 16 contests to be held in Lauderhill, Dallas and New York and the blockbuster clash between India and Pakistan scheduled for the new Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in Long Island on 9 June.
The US will play Canada in the opening game on June 1 while fellow hosts the West Indies will play Papua New Guinea in Guyana on the second day of group play.
The Men in Blue will open their campaign against Ireland on June 5. Their second game of the tournament will be against arch-rival Pakistan on June 9. The final two games will be against Canada and USA on June 12 and June 15 respectively.
This time 20 teams will take part in the T20 World Cup which is more than the 16 that took part in the 2022 tournament in Australia. The top two teams from each group will proceed to the Super 8 stage.
The 55 games of the competition will be played across six different venues in the West Indies (Kensington Oval, Barbados; Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad; Providence Stadium, Guyana; Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua; Darren Sammy Cricket Ground, St Lucia; Arnos Vale Stadium, St Vincent) and three venues in the USA (Eisenhower Park, New York; Lauderhill, Florida; and Grand Prairie, Texas).
The Group Stage will be played from June 1 to June 18. The Super 8 stage will be played from June 19 to June 24.
The final four stage – semi-finals will be played on June 26 and June 27. The tournament will conclude on June 29.
Group B consists of the last two winners of the Men’s T20 World Cup in England and Australia, with the pair to take on Namibia, Scotland and Oman.
The West Indies are placed into Group C alongside New Zealand, Afghanistan, Uganda and Papua New Guinea, while Group D sees South Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Netherlands and Nepal fixtured against each other.
T20 World Cup Groups:
Group A: India, Pakistan, Ireland, Canada, USA
Group B: England, Australia, Namibia, Scotland, Oman
Group C: New Zealand, West Indies, Afghanistan, Uganda, Papua New Guinea
Group D: South Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Netherlands, Nepa.l (ANI)