Ireland will face India, Pakistan, the USA and Canada in Group A of the Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup taking place in the West Indies and the United States next June.
All of Ireland’s first-round matches will be played in the US – with the opening game against India and Canada in New York and against the United States and Pakistan in Miami.
We are not claiming second sight but in our A-Z of the year ahead published 24 hours before the draw was made we included:
W
World Cup Cricket
The Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup will take place in the traditional setting of the West Indies but also the more innovative one of the United States in June. Ireland playing against England or India with the Empire State Building as a backdrop is exciting
The first Group Stage fixtures for Ireland are:
- 5 June: India Men v Ireland Men (New York; 10 am start)
- 7 June: Ireland Men v Canada Men (New York; 10 am start)
- 14 June: USA Men v Ireland Men (Florida; 10 am start)
- 16 June: Ireland Men v Pakistan Men (Florida; 10 am start)
The top two teams from each Group will advance to the second round Group stage. The top two teams from the second round Group stage will then progress to the semi-finals, with the Final to be played in Barbados on 29 June.
It will be a major challenge to knock out either of India or Pakistan but the T20 game is perhaps the most volatile and Ireland have recorded big World Cup wins in the past against Pakistan, England and the West Indies.
Prior to the tournament proper starting, Ireland will play two official warm-up matches against opponents and at venues yet to be revealed.
The four first-round Groups are:
- Group A: India, Pakistan, Ireland, USA, Canada
- Group B: England, Australia, Namibia, Scotland, Oman
- Group C: New Zealand, West Indies, Afghanistan, Uganda, Papua New Guinea
- Group D: South Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh Netherlands, Nepal
“It’s always an exciting time for players and fans alike when a World Cup draw is revealed and the planning begins in earnest,” said Ireland Head Coach Heinrich Malan.
“To be drawn in a Group that includes India and Pakistan is a tantalising prospect and should attract big crowds, while also to face one of the co-hosts on their home soil adds some spice, and Canada have a proven pedigree in this format so will be a challenging encounter as well.”
“It may be a cliché to say that no match at a World Cup is easy, but the Group we have been drawn in absolutely exemplifies that saying.”
“One secret weapon we may have up our sleeve, however, is an enormous Irish ex-pat population in the US, and we absolutely call on the members of the Irish diaspora in the US to put on their green and come out to support our lads.”
“As we demonstrated on the recently concluded tour of Zimbabwe, we are building an exciting, resilient and fearless brand of cricket in the shortest format and we hope to evolve this further over the coming months.”
“For now, however, we begin our specific planning for our opponents that are now known. We have plenty of cricket to look forward to in the lead-up to the tournament – starting with a highly anticipated multi-format series against Afghanistan in March. Personally, I can’t wait for 2024 to start and to see where we can take this talented group of players.”
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