According to the groups announced by the International Cricket Council (ICC), Team India and Pakistan are placed in the same group. The tournament will be hosted by the BCCI in Oman and the United Arab Emirates from 17 October to 14 November. Group 2 will comprise former champions India and Pakistan, New Zealand, Afghanistan, and the other two qualifiers from Round 1. Group 1 will see defending champions West Indies take on England, Australia, and South Africa.

Eight teams will contest the first round including automatic qualifiers Sri Lanka and Bangladesh with the remaining six who booked their spot through the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2019. Ireland, Netherlands, and Namibia join Sri Lanka in Group A, whilst Oman, PNG and Scotland will face Bangladesh in Group B.

Talking about the same, ICC Acting Chief Executive Geoff Allardice: There are some great matchups offered by the groups and it starts to bring the event to life for our fans as our first multi-team event since the onset of the global pandemic draws closer. Given the disruption caused by COVID-19, we selected the cutoff date as close as possible to the event to ensure we were able to include the maximum amount of cricket in the rankings which determine the groups.”

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BCCI Secretary Jay Shah: “With the announcement of groupings, our countdown for the ICC T20 World Cup kickstarts. Having said that, the exciting T20 format is known for its surprises, and we must be prepared for the same. In my capacity as Asian Cricket Council President, my vision is to take cricket far and deep into Asia. Co-hosting the World Cup will put Oman Cricket on the global stage.”

BCCI President Sourav Ganguly: “It is good to get Oman in the frame of world cricket with the hosting of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. It will help a lot of young players take an interest in the game. We know it will be a world-class event in this part of the world.”

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Oman Cricket Chairman, Pankaj Khimji: “Oman Cricket has come a long way and today is a watershed moment for us to have ICC and BCCI here at Oman Cricket Academy to announce the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup groups! Playing in and hosting the event gives us an opportunity to showcase not just our commitment to growing the game but also showcasing Oman as a welcoming destination to the world.”