Everything you want to know about the T20 World Cup cricket

The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup cricket tournament begins on June 1. Co-hosted by the USA and West Indies, the tournament will culminate in the final at Bridgetown, Barbados, on June 29.

England are the defending champions of the tournament, which has been organised by the International Cricket Council every two years since 2007.

Here’s a lowdown on the T20 World Cup.

The West Indies and the USA will jointly host the T20 World Cup, the first major ICC tournament in the US.

The inaugural match will be held at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, Texas, on June 1 (June 2, 4.30am UAE time), with co-hosts USA facing off against Canada. The final will be played in Bridgetown, Barbados, on June 29.

The ninth World Cup will feature a record 20 teams. Hosts West Indies and USA gained automatic qualification. Eight best-placed teams from the 2022 edition — England, Pakistan, India, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Australia and the Netherlands — got a direct entry. So also Afghanistan and Bangladesh by virtue of their place in the men’s T20 International rankings.

Canada topped the Americas qualifier, while Ireland and Scotland came through the European qualifier. Nepal and Oman secured their slot from the Asia qualifier, Namibia and Uganda qualified from Africa, and Papua New Guinea won the East Asia-Pacific qualifier.

For the first phase, the 20 teams are divided into four groups of five each. Each team will play at least four matches against others in the group. The top two teams from each group will advance to the Super 8s stage, and the bottom three teams exit the tournament.

In the Super 8s, eight teams are divided into two groups, and each side play three matches against their rivals. The top two teams from each Super 8s group will move into the semifinals on June 27. The semifinal winners will play the final in Barbados on June 29.

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

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

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

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

If any match ends in a tie, a Super Over will be played. If the Super Over is a tie, more Super Overs will be played until there is a winner.

In the group stage and Super 8 matches, each team must bat at least five overs to win. In the semifinals and final, each team should be able to bat at least ten overs for a result.

Additional time will be provided to ensure the completion of the semifinals and the final. At the end of the day’s play, extra time will be available for each semifinal.

The first semifinal has a reserve day and additional time. The first day (June 26) will have an extra 60 minutes, and the second day (June 27) will have an extra 190 minutes.

The second semifinal doesn’t have a reserve day since there is only a day’s gap before the final. But it will have an additional 250 minutes on the scheduled day. If India reach the knockouts, they will play the second semifinal to avoid the clash of timings.

The final on June 29 has a reserve day on June 30.

The venues in the United States are the Central Broward Park & Broward County Stadium in Lauderhill (Florida), Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York, and Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium in Dallas (Texas), where 16 games will be played.

The six stadiums in six countries of the West Indies that will host 41 matches are Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua and Barbuda; Kensington Oval, Barbados; Guyana National Stadium, Guyana; Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, Saint Lucia; Arnos Vale Ground, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; and Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad and Tobago.

Trinidad and Tobago will host one semifinal, while the other will be played in Guyana. The final will be in Barbados on June 29.

Seven teams have won the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup since its inception in 2007 in South Africa. India won the inaugural edition, while West Indies and England are the only teams to win twice.

Virat Kohli of India leads the list of run-getters with 1,141, while Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan is the leading wicket-taker with 47.