The ICC announced the groups for the Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 on Friday. It will start in Oman and the UAE on October 17. The groups are selected on the basis of team rankings as of 20 March 2021.
India and Pakistan are in the same group along with New Zealand, Afghanistan. The other two qualifiers from Round 1 will join them. Defending champions West Indies, England, Australia, and South Africa are in Group 1 along with two qualifiers from Round 1.
“Eight teams will contest the first round. It will include automatic qualifiers – Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Ireland, Netherlands, and Namibia will join Sri Lanka in Group A. Oman, PNG, and Scotland will face Bangladesh in Group B,” the ICC announced.
ICC Acting Chief Executive Geoff Allardice said: “We are delighted to announce the groups for the ICC Men’s World Cup T20 2021. There are some great matchups offered by the groups. It starts to bring the event to life for our fans as our first multi-team event since the onset of the global pandemic draws closer.”
BCCI President Sourav Ganguly said: “It is good to get Oman in the frame of world cricket with the hosting of the ICC Men’s T20 WC. It will help a lot of young players take an interest in the game. We know it will be a world-class event in this part of the world.”