Ahead Of Clash With India, Pak's Babar Azam Says T20 World Cup Is Like A Home Event

With the much-anticipated clash between India and Pakistan in the ICC T20 World Cup scheduled to take place in Dubai on October 24, following the announcement of the schedule on Tuesday, Pakistan skip

Oman will take on Papua New Guinea in the opening match of the tournament at the Oman Cricket Academy ground on October 17, while the Super 12 stage commences with a fixture between Australia and South Africa in Abu Dhabi.

The complete schedule, announced on Tuesday confirms the highly anticipated match between former champions India and Pakistan will take place on October 24 in Dubai while Ashes rivals England and Australia will play at the same venue six days later.

The West Indies, the only side to win the tournament twice, will also feature on the opening day of the Super 12s as they kick off their defence of the title in Dubai against England, top ranked in the T20I team rankings.

Sri Lanka, champions in 2014, Bangladesh, Ireland, Namibia, Netherlands Oman, Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Scotland, feature in Round 1 of the 16-team tournament, being hosted in the UAE and Oman through to November 14. The top two teams from each group of Round 1 will make it to the Super 12s.

West Indies captain Kieron Pollard said his team will play the same brand of cricket that helped them defeat England in a nerve-wracking final at the Eden Gardens in 2016 with Carlos Brathwaite blasting four consecutive sixes in the last over to turn the tables on 2010 champions England.

"We are excited to begin defence of the T20 World Cup title. T20 cricket is dynamic and the international scene is highly competitive, with players constantly pushing the boundaries of innovation and we are expecting a spectacular event in the UAE and Oman," said Pollard.

The groupings:

Round 1
Group A: Sri Lanka, Ireland, the Netherlands and Namibia
Group B: Bangladesh, Scotland, Papua New Guinea and Oman
(Top two teams from each group advance to Super 12s)

Super 12s
Group 1: England, Australia, South Africa, West Indies, A1 and B2.
Group 2: India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Afghanistan, A2 and B1.
(Top two teams from each group advance to the semi-finals)