KARACHI: The initial schedule for this year’s ICC T20 World Cup has been finalised with Pakistan and India being in the same group.

The tournament is set to take place in the United States and the West Indies from June 4 to June 30, featuring a total of 20 teams.

For the first round, the 20 teams are divided into four groups.

According to sources, Pakistan and India share their group with Ireland, Canada, and the host nation, the United States.

Subsequently, a majority of the matches in the first round involving Pakistan’s group are set to be played in the United States.

Pakistan is slated to play its first match against the USA on June 6, followed by the much-anticipated clash between the arch-rivals Pakistan and India in New York on June 9.

The match between Pakistan and Canada is scheduled for June 11 in New York, while the first round match with Ireland will take place in Florida on June 16.

Following the first round, the top two teams from each of the four groups will qualify for the Super Eight round, where they will be divided into two groups.

According to the sources, the ICC has sent the schedule to the cricket boards and the broadcasters for feedback and approval, with the final schedule set to be released soon.

Sources suggest that the timing of the Pakistan-India match and the time zone differences between USA and sub-continent could lead to the option of scheduling the match a day earlier.

It is worth noting that New York is ten hours behind Pakistan’s time, and the match scheduled to start in the afternoon there would be played in the late night in Pakistan.

There is a possibility that the match could be rescheduled to June 8 to avoid affecting its viewership.

Faizan Lakhani

Faizan Lakhani is Deputy Editor (Sports) at Geo News.