ICC : Nov 04, 2019, 03:12 PM
Ireland, Namibia, Netherlands, Oman, Papua New Guinea and Scotland have secured their places at ‘The Big Dance’, to be held in seven host cities across the country from 18 October – 15 November 2020.Papua New Guinea, Ireland and Oman will join Sri Lanka in Group A of the first round, with the four teams competing in Geelong from October 18-22. The opening match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2020 will be played between Sri Lanka and Ireland at Kardinia Park Stadium.Netherlands, Namibia and Scotland will join Bangladesh in Group B, with their matches taking place from October 19-23 at Bellerive Oval in Hobart.For Papua New Guinea, runners-up at the Qualifier in the UAE, it will be their first ever major global cricket event at senior level after narrowly missing qualification to the 2104 and 2016 ICC T20 World Cup tournaments. They are coached by Australian Joe Dawes, who played over 100 state games for Queensland.Another team to qualify with an Australian at the helm is The Netherlands, winners of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2019, with former hard-hitting batsman and wicketkeeper Ryan Campbell having been in charge since 2017.Following the conclusion of first round matches in Geelong and Hobart, the highest-placed team in Group A and the second-placed team in Group B will join Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand and West Indies in Group 1 of the Super 12s.Hosts Australia, who have never won the global showpiece event for men’s T20 cricket, will play their first match against the world’s number-one ranked team Pakistan, at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday 24 October 2020.Group 2 of the Super 12s phase will see India, England, South Africa and Afghanistan each face the highest-placed team in Group B and the second-placed team from Group A.ICC T20 World Cup 2020 Local Organising Committee CEO, Nick Hockley, said: “We are thrilled to be welcoming Ireland, Namibia, Netherlands, Oman, Papua New Guinea and Scotland to Australia for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2020.“We know that all 16 men's teams will receive the warmest welcome and fantastic support from fans living here in Australia and those visiting from around the world.”2020 will be a massive year for cricket, with not one but two standalone World Cups coming to Australia. The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup will take place first, from 21 February – 8 March in six host cities.Both the women’s and men’s finals will be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The women’s decider will be played on Sunday 8 March 2020, International Women’s Day, presenting an opportunity to set a new world record for highest attendance at a women’s sporting fixture.Defending champions Australia have won four of the six editions of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, and will play the opening match of the 2020 tournament in a blockbuster clash with India at Sydney Showground Stadium on Friday 21 February.Tickets to all women’s and men’s matches are on sale now at t20worldcup.com, from $5 for children and from $20 for adults across both tournaments.