ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024: Everything You Need to Know

The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 is the ninth edition of the biennial tournament that showcases the best of Twenty20 cricket. It is scheduled to be hosted by the West Indies and the United States from 4 June to 30 June 2024. This will be the first time that the USA will host an ICC event, and the second time for the West Indies, who co-hosted the 2007 World Cup with nine other Caribbean nations.

Format and Teams

The tournament will feature 20 teams, divided into four groups of five. The top two teams from each group will advance to the Super 8 stage, where they will be split into two groups of four. The top two teams from each Super 8 group will qualify for the knockout stage, which will consist of two semi-finals and a final

The 10 teams that automatically qualified for the tournament are:

• England (defending champions)
• India
• Pakistan
• New Zealand
• Australia
• South Africa
• Sri Lanka
• Netherlands
• West Indies (hosts)
• United States (hosts)

The remaining 10 teams will be determined by the regional qualifiers, which will be held in 2023. The qualifiers will feature two teams from Africa, Asia, and Europe, and one team each from the Americas and the East Asia-Pacific regions.

Venues and Schedule

The tournament will be played across 10 venues in the West Indies and the USA. The venues are:

• Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados
• Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
• Warner Park, Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis
• Providence Stadium, Providence, Guyana
• Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica
• Broward County Stadium, Lauderhill, Florida, USA
• Central Broward Regional Park, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA
• Woodley Park, Los Angeles, California, USA
• Church Street Park, Morrisville, North Carolina, USA
• Central Park, New York City, New York, USA

The official schedule of the tournament is yet to be released by the ICC, but it is expected to start on 4 June and end on 30 June 2024. The final will be played at the Kensington Oval in Barbados, which also hosted the final of the 2007 World Cup

Expectations and Predictions

The tournament promises to be a thrilling spectacle of high-octane cricket, with some of the world’s best players and teams competing for the coveted trophy. England, who won the 2022 edition in Australia, will be looking to defend their title and become the first team to win back-to-back T20 World Cups. India, who are the top-ranked team in the ICC Men’s T20I Team Rankings, will be eager to end their drought of ICC trophies, having last won the 2013 Champions Trophy. Pakistan, who are the only team to have reached the semi-finals of every T20 World Cup, will be hoping to repeat their 2009 triumph. New Zealand, who were the runners-up in 2022, will be aiming to go one step further and claim their first T20 World Cup. Australia, who have won five 50-over World Cups, will be keen to add a T20 World Cup to their cabinet. South Africa, Sri Lanka, and the Netherlands will be looking to cause some upsets and challenge the top teams. The hosts, West Indies and the USA, will have the home advantage and the support of the passionate fans. The West Indies, who are the only team to have won two T20 World Cups (in 2012 and 2016), will be confident of their chances, especially with their explosive batting line-up. The USA, who are making their debut in the tournament, will be eager to make a mark and showcase their cricketing potential.