Prepare yourself to enjoy from June 1 to June 29 the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which is going to be played in 2024 and which seems to capture the imagination of cricket fans worldwide.
Never previously hosted in the USA, this ninth edition of the T20 World Cup, which will have a total of 20 teams taking part in, has been co-hosted by the USA and the West Indies. And this would be such a historic moment for America, hosting a major ICC event for the very first time. So be set for some super cricketing action.
The T20 World Cup: A Short History
The T20 World Cup, hugely popular and fully deservedly so, was initially held in the year 2007. India, under the magnetic captaincy of MS Dhoni, emerged winners in the 1st edition of the tournament. And it was no surprise to anyone that the West Indies have been great in world T20 cricket, winning in 2012 and 2016. England, with its full quality, took away the championship in 2010 and, most recently, in 2022. Other winners were Pakistan, which prevailed in 2009, Sri Lanka in 2014, and Australia in 2021.
Table of T20 World Cup Winners from 2007 to 2026
- 2007: India
- 2009: Pakistan
- 2010: England
- 2012: West Indies
- 2014: Sri Lanka
- 2016: West Indies
- 2021: Australia
- 2022: England
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2024 T20 World Cup Format
A new concept has been introduced in this year’s tournament for the T20 World Cup. Twenty contestants are participating in the tournament and are divided into pools of five each. The group stage clashes will start the tournament rolling. The first and second top teams from each group will be promoted further to the Super 8 stage. Teams will be divided into two groups of four each. The first two from each will further be promoted to the semi-finals round. Finally, the winners of the two semi-final matches will fight it out in the grand finale.
T20 World Cup 2024 Grounds
Spread across nine stunning venues spread across both the United States and the Caribbean, all the 2024 T20 World Cup matches will be:
- Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda
- Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados
- Providence Stadium, Providence, Guyana
- Darren Sammy Stadium, Gros Islet, Saint Lucia
- Arnos Vale Stadium, Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Brian Lara Cricket Stadium, San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago
- Central Broward Park, Lauderhill, Florida, United States
- Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas, Texas, United States
- Nassau County International Stadium, Long Island, New York, United States
Of course, Nassau County International Stadium is purposely built for this event, and it really shows how concerned and committed America is to hosting such a prestigious event.
New Rule: The ‘Stop Clock’
In an attempt to enhance the pace of play, the ‘Stop Clock’ rule will be incorporated in the 2024 T20 World Cup. The rule states that the bowling side will be required to begin bowling the second over within 60 seconds of the conclusion of the first over. Each inning of a match will be of 1 hour and 25 minutes with a 20-minute interval, and thus normally the game will be concluded within 3 hours and 10 minutes.
Super Over and Rain Rules
In case of a tied match in a T20 World Cup match, the winner will be decided through playing a Super Over. In case of a tie in the Super Over, there will be a subsequent Super Over, or Super Overs, to determine the winner. In case of the abandonment or suspension of a T20 World Cup match for any reason of rain, then the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method of scoring will apply.
The DLS will not at all be used only if both the teams have faced at least 5 overs during a group stage or the Super 8, whereas in a knock-out stage, there must be at least 10 balls bowled for the DLS to come into play. A reserve day has been scheduled for the semi-final and final of this World Cup, along with additional time in each day in order to complete these vital games.
Teams That Will Participate in the 2024 T20 World Cup
All-told, 20 teams will be involved in the 2024 T20 World Cup. As well as hosts West Indies and the USA, the eight top-ranked nations: England, Pakistan, India, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Australia, and the Netherlands will take part.
The other two highest-ranked teams on the T20I team rankings: Afghanistan and Bangladesh, were the two teams that ranked that did not qualify through the rankings, while Ireland and Scotland were the two teams that did so through the European Qualifiers. Canada was the highest-ranked team that is the top side through the America Qualifiers. Meanwhile, Nepal and Oman took that through the Asia Qualifier, and Namibia and Uganda took that through Africa, while Papua New Guinea claimed that through the East Asia-Pacific Qualifier.
India’s Schedule and Time
The 2024 T20 World Cup in India is set to see all their games played with the cricket ball being thrown up into the air at 8 pm IST. Here are the key fixtures of the tournament:
- June 5: India vs. Ireland, New York, 8:00 PM IST
- June 9: India vs. Pakistan, 8:00 PM IST, New York
- June 12: India vs. USA, New York, 8.00 PM IST
- June 15: India vs. Canada, Florida, 8:00 PM IST
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Can This India Side Led by Rohit Sharma Win the World Cup?
This is what makes Rohit Sharma lead a hard-nosed Indian side which aspires to perform not just by the fans but towards the T20 World Cup title after last year’s heartbreak. Rohit himself is the experienced contender in this format of the game, featuring in eight T20 World Cups so far. Former England captain Eoin Morgan feels India is the most dominant team in the championship: “They are clearly the strongest team in the tournament considering the depth and quality of the players they have.”
India will start its campaign against Ireland on June 5, and play the hyper match with arch-rivals Pakistan on June 9. The schedule of Indian matches gives the Indian communities in North America something to relish, for the USA and Canada.
T20 World Cup Records and Memorable Moments
The T20 World Cup has seen some amazing moments and record-breaking performances over the years. Here are a few:
- Yuvraj Singh’s Six Sixes: Yuvraj Singh created history when he managed to hit six consecutive sixes off Stuart Broad in the 2007 T20 World Cup match against England. This heroic feat is probably the most iconic happening in T20 cricket.
- Suresh Raina’s Century: Suresh Raina became the first Indian to score a century in T20 Internationals in the 2010 T20 World Cup, playing against South Africa.
- Consistency of Virat Kohli: He is the highest run-scorer in T20 World Cups, with 1,141 runs from 27 matches. His deeds have got to include an innings of 82* against Pakistan and one against Australia in 2016.
- Ravichandran Ashwin’s Wickets: R Ashwin is the leading wicket-taker for India in T20 World Cups, with 32 wickets in 24 games. Not to forget, his best came against Australia in 2014 when he pushed back four wickets for just 11 runs.
- Fielding of Rohit Sharma: Having taken the most catches by an Indian player in T20 World Cups, he has managed to get his hands on 16 catches in 39 games, hence proving he is acrobatically agile with sharp reflexes on the field.
Groups
Conclusion
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 is poised to be a high-voltage tournament with the very best in cricket action across varied and picturesque venues in the United States of America and the West Indies. The exquisite new playing conditions, a truly competitive format, and a few memorable firsts at this edition of the T20 World Cup promise to create memories of a kind that cricket fans have never experienced before. The teams will take on each other, as the fans will be set to scour a month of competitive and thrilling cricket action.
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