World Cup 2024: Fasten your seatbelts for an exciting journey
Cricket
England are defending the title
- A total of 55 matches will played across nine venues - six in the West Indies and three in the US
- Pakistan will take on India on June 9 in the much-awaited clash in New York
- USA, Uganda are making debut in cricket
By Anees-ur-Rehman
Cricket fans around the world are gearing up for the 9th edition of the T20 World Cup which is set to kick off on June 1.
The marquee event will be jointly hosted by the United States and the West Indies.
This tournament makes history as it is the first time that the US will co-host a major ICC event. The preparations are in full swing, with venues across both regions ready to welcome teams and fans for an exciting spectacle of matches.
A total of 55 matches will played across nine venues - six in the West Indies and three in the US.
The United States will lock horns with their neighbour Canada in the opening match of the mega event in Texas today (June 1). The final of the T20 World Cup 2024 will take place on June 29, offering a month-long feast of thrilling cricket action.
Largest edition with 20 teams
The 2024 T20 World Cup, the ninth edition in 17 years, is set to be the largest ever with 20 teams participating.
For the first time, the ICC T20 World Cup will feature 20 teams, an increase from 16 teams which played in the 2022 edition.
The top eight teams from the previous tournament, along with host nations USA and West Indies, earned direct entry.
Afghanistan and Bangladesh qualified on the basis of their ICC T20 rankings as of November 2022.
This edition will see the debut of the USA and Uganda in an ICC World Cup.
The 20 teams will be divided into four groups. Following the round-robin matches, the top two teams from each group will advance to the Super Eight.
In the Super Eight phase, the four teams in each group will play against each other once. The top two teams from each group will then move on to the semi-finals.
Group formation
Group A: Pakistan, India, Ireland, USA, Canada
Group B: Australia, England, Namibia, Scotland, Oman
Group C: Afghanistan, New Zealand, West Indies, Papua New Guinea, Uganda
Group D: South Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Netherlands
Defending champions
England enter the tournament as defending champions, aiming for their third title to surpass the West Indies as the most successful team in T20 World Cup history.
Notably, England secured their first global tournament victory the last time the event was hosted in the Caribbean in 2010.
England secured a morale-boosting victory against Pakistan ahead of their World Cup title defence, set to kick off against Scotland in Barbados on June 4.
Since their win against Pakistan in T20 World Cup final in 2022, England played 14 T20Is, winning six and losing eight.
Pakistan squad arrives in US
Following a series defeat against England, the national team arrived in Dallas, USA, on Saturday to participate in the mega event.
The national team, led by Babar Azam, along with members of the management committee, reached Dallas from London.
Before the T20 World Cup, Pakistan claimed a 2-1 series victory against the weaker Ireland team but faced a 0-2 defeat against England.
The Green Shirts will take on host US in their opening match on June 6.
Pakistan squad
Babar Azam leads the national team in the world cup while other members are Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Usman Khan.
Pakistan vs India
Pakistan will take on arch-rivals India on June 9 in the much-awaited clash in New York. Tickets for the match were sold out within a few hours.
The state of New York heightened security ahead of the big clash, with one police official saying it is the “largest security we’ve ever had to do”.
According to reports, a terrorist group issued threats of an attack during the World Cup in New York. Pakistan are scheduled to play two matches, while India have four matches lined up in the city.
Historically, India have dominated Pakistan in T20 World Cup encounters, winning six out of seven matches. This includes their triumph in the 2007 final and their most recent victory in Melbourne in 2022.
Pakistan’s only victory came against India during the 2021 world cup in Dubai when the Green Shirts defeated the opponents by 10 wickets.
