Colombo: ICC Men’s Cricket T20 World Cup 2021, the 7th T20 Cricket World Cup, is scheduled between 17 October 2021 and 14 November 2021 in the UAE and Oman. Let us bring you up to date on the teams and the mechanics.
- How many teams are competing in the ICC Men’s Cricket T20 World Cup 2021?
16 teams will compete in 2 phases. 1st phase is the qualifier matches which is identified as ‘Round 1’. Eight teams are competing for top 4 positions.
2nd phase is the Super 12s where 8 teams (who are already qualified) together with the 4 teams from ‘Round 1’ will compete for the top 4 slots (semifinal slots).
As said above, 8 teams are already qualified for the Super 12 (India, West Indies, England, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan and Afghanistan).
Group 1 of Super 12s include England, Australia, South Africa, West Indies
Group 2 of Super 12s include India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Afghanistan
- So how does 8 teams in Group 1 and 2 become Super 12s ?
Well, there are 8 teams separately playing for 4 positions in the qualifiers of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. So, the 8 teams will play in Round 1 and they are grouped into 2 groups (Group A and Group B).
Unfortunately, this time Sri Lanka must play the qualifier due to the steep decline in performance in the recent past.
Group A has Sri Lanka, Ireland, the Netherlands, Namibia
Group B has Bangladesh, Scotland, Papua New Guinea, Oman.
From each group, 2 teams will qualify. These 4 teams later will join already qualified 8 teams in Super 12.
So top team in Group A and 2nd team in Group B will join Group 1 in Super 12.
While the top team in Group B and 2nd team in Group A will join Group 2 in Super 12.
- So when are the Round 1 matches scheduled for ?
The Round 1 matches are scheduled from the 17th of October to the 22nd of October. 2 matches are scheduled each day and will be played in venues at Muscat, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. A total of 12 matches would be played under Round 1.
The match dates on which the Sri Lankan team would be competing are as follows.
18th October Sri Lanka Vs Namibia – 7.30 pm (Abu Dhabi)
20th October Sri Lanka Vs Ireland – 7.30 pm (Abu Dhabi)
22nd October Sri Lanka Vs Netherlands – 7.30 pm (Sharjah)
- When are the Super 12s scheduled for ?
The Super 12s are played from 23rd October to 8th November (a total of 30 matches)
Group 1 opening match is on 23rd October 2021 between Australia and South Africa (in Abu Dhabi)
Group 2 opening match is on 24th October 2021 between India and Pakistan (in Dubai)
- When would the semi finals and finals be played?
Semi-finals are scheduled to be played on 10th and 11th of November 2021. The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 Final is scheduled to be played on 14th November 2021.
Colombo Times looks forward to keeping you updated on the ICC Men’s Cricket T20 World Cup 2021. Do keep an eye on our FB page and the website for timely updates. (RZ)
