ICC sets schedule for historic T20 World Cup

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has revealed the schedule for the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup being co-hosted by the West Indies and the USA, with the tournament finale to be staged in the Caribbean while the blockbuster group stage fixture between India and Pakistan takes place at the 34,000-seat modular stadium being planned for Nassau County, New York.

Today’s (Friday’s) announcement comes after the venues for the World Cup were confirmed in September. The ICC named Dallas, Florida and New York as the three venues as the event is staged in the USA for the first time.

An agreement has been reached for the construction of a 34,000-seat modular stadium in Eisenhower Park, a purpose-built sports and events park in East Meadow, Nassau County. The other venues selected – Grand Prairie Stadium and Central Broward Park & Broward County Stadium – are established cricket grounds in the US.

The redeveloped Grand Prairie Stadium in Texas served as the primary venue for Major League Cricket’s debut season, which ran from July 13-30. Central Broward Park & Broward County Stadium, located in Lauderhill, Florida, first opened in 2007.

Meanwhile, upgraded stadiums spanning the seven Caribbean countries of Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Guyana, St Lucia, Trinidad & Tobago, and St Vincent & The Grenadines were originally due to stage matches.

However, Cricket West Indies (CWI) confirmed in November that the Government of Dominica had withdrawn amid concerns over the ability to complete preparations in time. This means there will now be six venues: Kensington Oval, Barbados; Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad; Providence Stadium, Guyana; Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua; Darren Sammy Cricket Ground, St Lucia; and Arnos Vale Stadium, St Vincent.

The World Cup will take place from June 1-29, with a record 20 teams divided into four groups competing across 55 games. The 20 teams have been divided into four groups of five, with the top two teams progressing to the Super Eights:

Group A: India, Pakistan, Ireland, Canada and the USA

Group B: England, Australia, Namibia, Scotland and Oman

Group C: New Zealand, the West Indies, Afghanistan, Uganda and Papua New Guinea

Group D: South Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the Netherlands and Nepal

The event commences with the two co-hosts starting their campaigns on the first two days of June. The USA will take on Canada in the tournament opener at the Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium in Dallas on June 1, while the West Indies will kickstart their campaign against Papua New Guinea at Providence Stadium in Guyana on June 2.

One of cricket’s biggest rivalries, India v Pakistan, will take place on June 9 as one of eight matches set for the cutting-edge stadium located 30 miles east of downtown Manhattan in Nassau County.

Upon completion of the group stage, the top two teams from each of the four groups will move into the Super Eight stage of the competition. Teams seeded first and second in their groups in the first round will retain that seeding in the Super Eight, provided they qualify. Super Eight matches are scheduled to be played in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

The two top teams from each group in the Super Eight will progress to the semi-finals, which will be held in Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago on June 26-27. The final will be held at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on June 29.

ICC chief executive, Geoff Allardice, said: “The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 marks an exciting expansion of our sport with more teams than ever before set to compete in this event. It’s going to be an incredible spectacle bringing together 20 international teams from Africa, the Americas, Asia, East-Asia Pacific and Europe.

“The release of the fixtures is made even more exciting for fans as we enter a new frontier, with the USA hosting a major ICC event for the first time. With 16 matches being played across three venues in the USA, it allows us to make a statement in the world’s biggest sports market.

“It will also be great to have an ICC event back in the West Indies, which has such a rich history of the game. It has hosted World Cups with great success in the past and this tournament will certainly provide a boost to the game there, especially with the final being played in Barbados.”

The ICC Board initially awarded the hosting of the T20 World Cup to the West Indies and the USA in November 2021.

CWI chief executive, Johnny Grave, said: “Each host country and city will bring its own unique flavour to the tournament, and fans from every corner of the globe can expect an exciting blend of T20 cricketing entertainment, local culture and warm hospitality.

“From classic rivalries to history making upsets and continental showdowns, fans can start looking forward to an action-packed month of games at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup next June, and we encourage everyone to get tickets as soon as they go on sale as we expect the demand to be high.”

Chair of T20 World Cup Incorporated, the entity established in the USA to deliver the event, Peter Hutton, added: “The USA is already one of cricket’s biggest audiences for ICC events and bringing the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup to New York City, Dallas and Florida is a massive opportunity to exponentially grow the sport.

“We’ve got three fantastic venues to host matches and we strongly encourage fans in the USA and around the world to start planning to secure their tickets for what will be a unique cricket spectacle featuring the best players in the world.”