Cricket rivals India and Pakistan have been drawn in the same group at this year’s T20 World Cup, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Friday.
They will be joined in Group 2 of the Super 12s (second round) by World Test champions New Zealand and Afghanistan as well as two qualifiers from round one. Champions West Indies, meanwhile, have been pooled with former winners England, Australia and South Africa in Group 1 as well as two more qualifiers. Test nations Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Ireland must both come through round one to reach the Super 12s but another Test team Zimbabwe will be absent.
“There are some great match-ups offered by the groups and 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,” said ICC acting chief executive Geoff Allardice in a statement. The tournament is set to take place in Oman and the United Arab Emirates from October 17 to November 14.
Draw
Round 1
Group A: Sri Lanka, Ireland, Netherlands, Namibia
Group B: Bangladesh, Scotland, Papua New Guinea, Oman
Super 12s
Group 1: England, Australia, South Africa, West Indies, A1, B2
Group 2: India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Afghanistan, A2, B1