Cricket prepares to break new ground on Sunday morning (Bangladesh time 6:30 AM) as the T20 World Cup explodes onto the scene in Texas. This historic event marks the first-ever major ICC tournament staged in the United States, kicking off a month-long celebration of the sport's fastest and most dynamic format.
The cricketing extravaganza unfolds across various venues in Texas, Florida, New York, and the Caribbean. The opening battle commences at Grand Prairie Stadium, on the outskirts of Dallas, with the USA locking horns with Canada. This clash signifies the first skirmish in the inaugural ICC major event co-hosted by the United States. While the Caribbean islands will host the majority of the tournament, 16 group-stage matches from the 20-team competition will be played on American soil. A highly anticipated clash between India and Pakistan is scheduled for a temporary venue in Long Island, New York, boasting a capacity of 34,000 cricket-hungry fans on June 9th.
The ICC views this tournament as a springboard for cricket's much-anticipated return to the Olympics in Los Angeles 2028, where the T20 format will be adopted.
This global event is poised to benefit Major League Cricket, a recently launched T20 tournament in the USA. A surge in interest in the shorter format, renowned for its explosive batting and spectacular plays, could provide a significant boost for American cricket's development.
The ICC recognizes the T20 format as the ideal vehicle for expanding the sport's global reach. This year's edition welcomes three debuting nations to the T20 World Cup stage: the USA, Canada, and Uganda.
Nepal, Papua New Guinea, and Oman are among other relative newcomers to the big stage, all eager to make their mark. These teams harbor hopes of pulling off an upset victory and grabbing the spotlight with a memorable performance.
The format features four groups of five teams, with only the top two progressing. This structure raises concerns for the smaller nations, who might face an uphill battle to advance beyond the group stage. There's a potential risk of the pool stage becoming primarily a "selection process" for the stronger teams.
