2020 World Cup T20: India to start campaign against South Africa

Sydney: India will take on South Africa in their first match at the Men’s ICC T20 World Cup in Australia scheduled to start in October 2020. The fixtures for both the Men’s and Women’s event were revealed this morning in Sydney.

The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 will take place first from 21 February to 8 March 2020, culminating in the final at the MCG on 8 March 2020, International Women’s Day.
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2020 will take place later in the year, from 18 October to 15 November 2020. Both tournaments will be held right across Australia in eight Host Cities and 13 venues.

For the first time, the women’s and men’s T20 World Cups will be held as standalone events in the same year and in the same country.

Hosts Australia will play the opening match of the Super 12 stage of the tournament on 24 October under lights at the SCG in a blockbuster match-up against the world’s top-ranked team, Pakistan.

India’s first match of the men’s tournament will be on 24 October against South Africa at Perth Stadium. This contest will follow the Australia-Pakistan opening match in Sydney, marking a spectacular opening night for the men’s Super 12 stage. Men’s defending champions, the Windies, will start their title defence when they clash with New Zealand on 25 November at the MCG.

ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said, “Whenever we host an event in Australia we know we can guarantee the one billion cricket fans around the world a great show. The world’s best players. Outstanding venues. Noisy, passionate, knowledgeable fans. Exciting cricket. This is the perfect combination for a T20 World Cup and in 2020 we go one step further with two T20 World Cups in one year.”

• The top eight-ranked teams based on ICC World T20I Team Rankings as at 31 December 2018 have automatically qualified.

• Pakistan (2009 champions) and India (inaugural champions in 2007) enter the event as the teams ranked one and two in the world respectively, based on ICC T20I Team Rankings at 31 December 2018, and will, therefore, be in different Groups for the Super 12 stage.

• The first semi-final will take place at the SCG in Sydney in the evening on 11 November, with Adelaide Oval hosting the second semi-final the following night.

• Men’s final will be played under lights at MCG, on 15 November 2020.

• The opening day of the men’s event will feature 2014 champions Sri Lanka in First Round action at Kardinia Park, Geelong on 18 October 2020, as they begin their campaign to progress to the Super 12 stage.

First Round / Super 12 groups

First Round (18 October – 23 October 2020) Group A (Kardinia Park, Geelong): Sri Lanka plus three qualifiers Group B (Bellerive Oval, Hobart): Bangladesh plus three qualifiers Super 12 (24 October – 8 November 2020)

Group 1: Group 2: ▪ Pakistan ▪ Australia ▪ West Indies ▪ New Zealand ▪ First Round Group A team 1 ▪ First Round Group B team 2 ▪ India ▪ England ▪ South Africa ▪ Afghanistan ▪ First Round Group B team 1 ▪ First Round Group A team 2