ICC unveils T20WC 22 fixtures; Pakistan and India to meet on Oct 23

The fixtures of the most-awaited 2022 T20 World Cup has been unveiled by the International Cricket Council (ICC) today and arch-rivals Pakistan and India will meet on October 23.

The fixture list for the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia has been released, with the draw for the First Round and Super 12 groups also confirmed.

The tournament will run between Sunday 18 October and Sunday 13 November, with 16 teams set to compete and seven cities to host matches across Australia. Twelve of those 16 nations are already confirmed, with the final four to be determined by Global Qualifying.

Hosts Australia will face New Zealand in the opening Super 12 game of the next ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in a repeat of the all-antipodean 2021 final, according to the fixtures released on the ICC website.

Pakistan vs India, a brief history

Arch-rivals India and Pakistan have locked horns against each other a total of six times in the history of ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, with India winning five of those matches.

There will be fireworks on Sunday, October 23 at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground as age-old rivals India and Pakistan will lock horns in their opening encounter of the 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. The Super 12 Group B clash will emotions to their all-time high, as both sides will look to get their campaign started on a high, in their quest for World Cup glory.

Over the years, the two teams have produced some high-octane clashes at the world stage, with India holding an edge. But Babar Azam’s Pakistan bounced back brilliantly in the last edition of the tournament, as they produced a near-perfect performance in Dubai to clinch their first-ever victory against India in a World Cup.

India, led by Rohit Sharma, will now be keen to hit back hard and assert their dominance again versus their neighbours.

As the world waits with bated breath and Melbourne gets ready to host 100,000 spectators for the contest, we take a look at the history of the India v Pakistan clash over the years at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

The Super 12

England, New Zealand, Australia and Afghanistan have been drawn together in Group 1, with India, Pakistan, South Africa and Bangladesh heading into Group 2.

The Super 12 will start in a dramatic fashion in Sydney with a meeting between the two finalists from the 2021 World Cup, with New Zealand facing defending champions Australia on Saturday 22 October.

And the excitement of the opening weekend doesn’t stop there, with India and Pakistan scheduled to meet on Sunday 23 October, the second day of the Super 12 stage, in what will be one of the most hotly-anticipated matches of the tournament.

The Super 12 will run for a fortnight, with the two groups set to reach their conclusion on the weekend of the 5th and 6th of November.

The Key Fixtures

In addition to the Australia v New Zealand and Pakistan v India matches on the opening weekend, a scattering of other fixtures stand out as likely key games in the Super 12 stage.

There will be a repeat of the 2021 semi-final between England and New Zealand when the two nations meet in an evening match at The Gabba on Tuesday 1 November in what is both teams’ penultimate group game.

And Pakistan is scheduled to face Bangladesh in Adelaide on the final afternoon of the Super 12 stage.

The First Round

The tournament will begin with a six-day group stage to determine the final four teams to qualify for the Super 12.

Sri Lanka and Namibia will be joined by two further qualifiers in Group A, with West Indies and Scotland drawn together alongside two additional teams from the Global Qualifier in Group B.

The First Round will consist of daily double-headers, held on alternate days at Hobart’s Bellerive Oval and Geelong’s Kardinia Park, with all Group A matches at the latter venue and all Group B matches held in the Tasmanian city.

All fixtures will be held between Sunday 16 October and Friday 21 October.

The winner of Group A and runner-up of Group B will join Group 1 in the Super 12 stage, with Group B’s winners and the second-placed team in Group A heading into Group 2.

The Knockout Stages

The Sydney Cricket Ground will host the first semi-final on Wednesday 9 November, with the second semi-final held the following day at the Adelaide Oval.

The final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 is scheduled for 19:00 local time at the 100,024-capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The Tournament Venues

There will be seven venues in total at the tournament. Kardinia Park in Geelong will host six matches, exclusively in the opening week’s First Round, while Bellerive Oval in Hobart will host nine games in total, six in the first round and three further matches during the opening three days of the Super 12 stage.

The remainder of the Super 12 matches will be held at the following stadiums:

• The Gabba
• Perth Stadium
• Adelaide Oval
• Sydney Cricket Ground
• Melbourne Cricket Ground