The International Cricket Council has released the full schedule for the upcoming T20 World Cup in the UAE and Oman
Australia to begin World Cup campaign against Proteas
Australia will begin their T20 World Cup campaign against South Africa, the last team they beat in a T20 international series, with the International Cricket Council today revealing the full draw for the 16-team event in October and November.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL SCHEDULE FOR THE 2021 ICC T20 WORLD CUP
The Aussies, who are in Group 1, will face the Proteas in Abu Dhabi on October 23 before taking on a qualifier in Dubai five days later.
They will stay in Dubai to play England on October 30 and another qualifier on November 4 before returning to Abu Dhabi to face West Indies on November 6.
The highlight of Group 2 will be the match between India and Pakistan in Dubai on October 24. Group 2 also features New Zealand, Afghanistan and two more qualifiers.
Image Id: B01C49ECD0B948C7BC912C75D2E1653EThe top two teams from each group will then progress to the semi-finals on November 10 and 11 ahead of the final in Dubai on November 14.
The seventh edition of the men's 20-over tournament will once again consist of two stages – the preliminary qualifier round and the Super 12s.
The first round will feature eight teams, split into two groups of four, who did not automatically qualify for the main part of the tournament. The top two from each of these groups – Sri Lanka, Ireland, the Netherlands and Namibia are in Group A while Bangladesh, Scotland, Papua New Guinea and Oman are in Group B – will then progress to the Super 12 stage.
The eight teams already qualified for the Super 12 stage, including Australia, were the eight highest-ranked teams by the qualification cut-off point. These eight teams were split into two groups of four last month based on their ranking from March 20 this year.
Image Id: E1D87835C1054662B9B98F01D7503FDBAustralia are currently ranked sixth in the world in T20s while England are ranked No.1, South Africa fifth and the Windies ninth.
Australia have lost their past five T20 series - to Bangladesh (4-1), the Windies (4-1), New Zealand (3-2), India (2-1) and England (2-1) - although they have been well below full strength for their three overseas tours this year, where they've managed just four wins from 15 games.
Their most recent series win came in February last year, just before the pandemic, when they beat the Proteas 2-1 in South Africa.
The Australians are expected to finalise their World Cup squad this week, although it remains to be seen what cricket - if any - they will be able to play before the tournament begins.
Image Id: 008FB3DE783642299C0C745225665186On Sunday, Cricket Australia paved the way for its players to take part in the rescheduled Indian Premier League, which will be held immediately prior to the World Cup.
The remaining 36 IPL games will be played in 27 days between September 19 and October 15 in the UAE, finishing just two days before the first stage of the World Cup begins.
There is a gap of more than a week between the end of the IPL and the start of the Super 12 stage, allowing some time for Australia to play some warm-up matches if time and a venue can be found.
The story of the seventh men's T20 World Cup has been eventful, even before a ball has even been bowled.
The tournament had been due to be held last year in Australia, but that was postponed to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. India was due to host the 2021 iteration, but the coronavirus catastrophe in that country forced it to be relocated to the Middle East.
The T20 World Cup remains the one major piece of silverware the Australian men's team is yet to win, with the closest they've come being when they finished runners-up to England in 2010.
Australia's 2021 T20 World Cup schedule
October 23 v South Africa in Abu Dhabi (2pm local time, 9pm AEDT)
October 28 v Qualifier A1 in Dubai (6pm local time, 1am Oct 29 AEDT)
October 30 v England in Dubai (6pm local time, 1am Oct 31 AEDT)
November 4 v Qualifier B2 in Dubai (2pm local time, 9pm AEDT)
November 6 v West Indies in Abu Dhabi (2pm local time, 9pm AEDT)
2021 T20 World Cup groups
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, B1, A2
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL SCHEDULE FOR THE 2021 ICC T20 WORLD CUP