MELBOURNE: India’s opening match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 will be against arch-rivals Pakistan on October 23 at the historic Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia.
It will be the first World Cup clash between the two nations at the MCG and come before another two fierce rivals, Australia and England, meet at the venue. The International Cricket Council has announced the fixtures for the October 16 – November 13 event. The world’s best cricketers from 16 international teams will clash in 45 matches as the pinnacle global event in men’s T20 cricket comes to Australia for the first time.
The matches will be played across Adelaide, Brisbane, Geelong, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney, giving fans around the country the chance to see the biggest global sporting event coming to Australia in 2022.
In the first round, former champions Sri Lanka and Namibia will play the opening match of the T20 World Cup 2022 at Kardinia Park, Geelong on Sunday, October 16. They’ll be joined by two qualifiers in Group A. Two-time champions West Indies will also start in the first round, joined in Group B by Scotland and two qualifiers in Hobart.
In the Super 12, hosts Australia are in Group 1 with world number one England, New Zealand, Afghanistan, plus the winner of Group A and the runner-up in Group B from the first round. Group 2 features India, Pakistan, South Africa, Bangladesh, plus the winner of Group B and runner-up in Group A from the first round.
The tournament will run between Sunday 18 October and Sunday 13 November, with 16 teams set to compete and seven cities to host matches across Australia. Twelve of those 16 nations are already confirmed, with the final four to be determined by Global Qualifying.
The Super 12
England, New Zealand, Australia and Afghanistan have been drawn together in Group 1, with India, Pakistan, South Africa and Bangladesh heading into Group 2.
The Super 12 will start in dramatic fashion in Sydney with a meeting between the two finalists from the 2021 World Cup, with New Zealand facing defending champions Australia on Saturday 22 October.
The Super 12 will run for a fortnight, with the two groups set to reach their conclusion on the weekend of the 5th and 6th of November.
The Key Fixtures
In addition to the Australia v New Zealand and Pakistan v India matches on the opening weekend, a scattering of other fixtures stand out as likely key games in the Super 12 stage.
There will be a repeat of the 2021 semi-final between England and New Zealand when the two nations meet in an evening match at The Gabba on Tuesday 1 November in what is both teams’ penultimate group game. Pakistan are scheduled to face Bangladesh in Adelaide on the final afternoon of the Super 12 stage.
The First Round
The tournament will begin with a six-day group stage to determine the final four teams to qualify for the Super 12. Sri Lanka and Namibia will be joined by two further qualifiers in Group A, with West Indies and Scotland drawn together alongside two additional teams from the Global Qualifier in Group B.
The First Round will consist of daily double-headers, held on alternate days at Hobart’s Bellerive Oval and Geelong’s Kardinia Park, with all Group A matches at the latter venue and all Group B matches held in the Tasmanian city.
All fixtures will be held between Sunday 16 October and Friday 21 October. The winner of Group A and runner-up of Group B will join Group 1 in the Super 12 stage, with Group B’s winners and the second-placed team in Group A heading into Group 2.
The Knockout Stages
The Sydney Cricket Ground will host the first semi-final on Wednesday 9 November, with the second semi-final held the following day at the Adelaide Oval. The final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 is scheduled for 19:00 local time at the 100,024-capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground.
