It's the biggest cricket event of the year, and it is happening right here in the UAE.
This edition of T20 World Cup has taken a long time to see the light of day. It was supposed to be held in Australia last year but the pandemic, and the absence of vaccines, made it impossible to hold a multi-team tournament. Remember, the last T20 world event was in 2016, when Carlos Brathwaite broke England hearts in Kolkata.
So India got to host the 2021 edition, which was then moved out of the country earlier in the year following a devastating second wave of coronavirus. The UAE was deemed to be the safest destination to host the tournament - as has been found by IPL, UFC and others have found - the focus of the cricketing world will now be on the Middle East until November 14 - the day of the final.
Prize money
The winners will take home a cheque of $ 1.6 million, while the runners-up will get $800,000. The two losing semi-finalists will receive $400,000 each
All 16 competing teams will receive part of the $5.6m allocated as prize money for the tournament.
Format
The top eight teams in the world qualified directly to the Super 12 stage of the T20 World Cup. Six other teams - Ireland, Netherlands, Namibia, Scotland, PNG, and Oman - join Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in the preliminary stage, which starts on October 17, to fight for the four remaining spots in the main stage of the tournament.
Fixtures
Preliminary round
October 17, Al Amerat – 2pm (UAE time) Oman v PNG; 6pm Bangladesh v Scotland
October 18, Abu Dhabi – 2pm Ireland v Netherlands; 6pm Sri Lanka v Namibia
October 19, Al Amerat – 2pm Scotland v PNG; 6pm Oman v Bangladesh
October 20, Abu Dhabi – 2pm Namibia v Netherlands; 6pm Sri Lanka v Ireland
October 21, Al Amerat – 2pm Bangladesh v PNG; 6pm Oman v Scotland
October 22, Sharjah – 2pm Namibia v Ireland; 6pm Sri Lanka v Netherlands
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West Indies Carlos Brathwaite, right, celebrates with teammate Marlon Samuels after they defeated in England in the final of the 2016 T20 World Cup at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, India, on Sunday, April 3. AP -
West Indies celebrate after Carlos Brathwaite hit the winning runs in the final. Getty -
Ben Stokes of England looks dejected after the match. Getty -
England's Joe Root and Ben Stokes after the match. Getty -
West Indies Marlon Samuels dives successfully to make his crease as England’s David Willey throws the ball. Reuters -
Joe Root batting for England. Getty -
West Indies' Marlon Samuels plays a shot. Reuters -
England's Joe Root celebrates dismissing Johnson Charles of the West Indies. Getty
Super 12
October 23, Abu Dhabi – 2pm Australia v South Africa; Dubai - 6pm England v West Indies
October 24, Sharjah – 2pm A1 v B2; Dubai – 6pm India v Pakistan
October 25, Sharjah – 6pm Afghanistan v B1
October 26, Dubai – 2pm South Africa v West Indies; Sharjah – 6pm Pakistan v New Zealand
October 27, Abu Dhabi – 2pm England v B2; 6pm, B1 v A2
October 28, Dubai – 6pm Australia v A1
October 29, Sharjah – 2pm West Indies v B2; Dubai – 6pm Afghanistan v Pakistan
October 30, Sharjah – 2pm South Africa v A1; Dubai – 6pm England v Australia
October 31, Abu Dhabi – 2pm Afghanistan v A2; Dubai - 6pm India v New Zealand
November 1, Sharjah – 6pm England v A1
November 2, Abu Dhabi – 2pm SA v B2; 6pm Pakistan v A2
November 3, Dubai – 2pm New Zealand v B1; Abu Dhabi - 6pm India v Afghanistan
November 4, Dubai – 2pm Australia v B2; Abu Dhabi – 6pm West Indies v A1
November 5, Sharjah – 2pm New Zealand v A2; Dubai – 6pm England v South Africa
November 6, Abu Dhabi – 2pm Australia v West Indies; Sharjah – 6pm England v South Africa
November 7, Abu Dhabi – 2pm New Zealand v Afghanistan; Sharjah – 6pm Pakistan v B1
November 8, Dubai – 6pm India v A2
Semi-finals
November 10, Abu Dhabi – 6pm Semi-final 1
November 11, Dubai – 6pm Semi-final 2
Final
November 14, Dubai – 6pm
Where to watch matches in UAE
Fans can watch can watch all the matches on the CricLife Max channel (Etisalat eLife TV), Switch TV, and the Starzplay app in the UAE.
Tickets
Thankfully, fans will be allowed at venues. Prices for tickets start at 10 Omani Rial in Oman and Dh30 in UAE respectively. ICC have released more tickets for all matches at the competition. Tickets can be bought at https://www.t20worldcup.com/tickets
What's new?
The Decision Review System (DRS) will be used during the tournament, with each team getting a maximum of two reviews per innings.
Also, fate of matches in case players test positive for Covid-19 will be decided by a committee and not by the member boards.
