Sri Lanka and the West Indies forced into first round stage as seven Australian cities are confirmed as the venues for the 2022 Men's T20 World Cup
Venues locked in for World Cup defence in Australia
Australia's men's T20 World Cup title will go on the line again in less than a year, with the International Cricket Council today confirming details of next year's tournament in Australia.
The 2022 T20 World Cup will feature a total of 45 games in less than a month to be played at Adelaide Oval, the Gabba, Kardinia Park in Geelong, Bellerive Oval in Hobart, Perth Stadium, the MCG and the SCG.
The semi-finals will be played on November 9 and 10 at the SCG and Adelaide Oval before the final at the MCG on Sunday November 13.
The tournament, which was originally to be staged in Australia in 2020 but was postponed due to the pandemic, will start on October 16 next year, meaning the Aussies have just 11 months to celebrate being world champions before they will have to defend their title.
Australia, who won the 2021 event on Monday morning AEDT, have automatically qualified for the Super 12 stage of next year's event along with runners-up, New Zealand. The next six highest-ranked teams in the world – England, India, Pakistan, South Africa, Afghanistan and Bangladesh – have also earned a free pass into the second round of the 2022 tournament.
The four remaining teams from the Super 12s at this year's event – Sri Lanka (champions in 2014), West Indies (champions in 2012 and 2016), Scotland and Namibia – will take part in the first round along with four other teams, whose identity will be determined by qualifier events early next year.
The full fixture for the tournament will be announced in January.
"With the unprecedented disruptions over the past two years, bringing the ICC Men's T20 World Cup to Australia for the first time offers a perfect opportunity for fans across the whole country to experience the joy of a live global sporting event again," said Michelle Enright, the tournament's CEO.
"The ICC Women's T20 World Cup in 2020 produced some incredible moments and created memories that will live with Australian cricket fans forever. Now it’s time for the men’s event to take centre stage and claim its own place in history."
Tickets for the tournament will go on sale in January and fans can get priority access by registering here.
2022 T20 World Cup
Dates: October 16 to November 13
Host cities: Adelaide, Brisbane, Geelong, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney
Automatically qualified for Super 12s: Australia, New Zealand, England, India, Pakistan, South Africa, Afghanistan, Bangladesh
Automatically qualified for Round 1: Sri Lanka, West Indies, Scotland, Namibia, TBC, TBC, TBC, TBC