The 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup will begin on Sunday, June 2, with the United States and Canada facing off in the tournament's opening match. Team Pakistan, who were the finalists in the last edition in 2022, is among the favourites once again as the tournament reaches the shores of the US and West Indies. As the 'Green Army' prepares for the prestigious tournament, they expect to repeat, if not surpass, their performance from the last edition.
However, Pakistan has not on been at the top of their game in recent months as proven by their recent T20 rankings. The former champions are currently placed seventh in the global T20I rankings despite the fact that they were finalists in the previous tournament. This is owing to their devastation during their trip to New Zealand, which saw them lose 4-1 before drawing 2-2 at home against the same opposition. They also lost the first match against Ireland earlier this month but came back to clinch the series 2-1.
Pakistan, nevertheless, have a good chance of winning ICC T20 World Cup 2024 because several of its players are performing well in T20 competitions across the globe. The team's ace batters Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are in touch, boosting their chances in the tournament. Pakistan is currently in England, playing a four-match T20 series ahead of the World Cup. This will be their final series before their T20 World Cup opener against the hosts, the United States, on June 6. Pakistan is grouped with Canada, the United States, Ireland, and its archrivals India.
This tournament will also be very special because of the large Indian and Pakistani diasporas in the United States, who will undoubtedly come to support their nations in the matches. Tickets for the India vs Pakistan match have long been sold out, with some tickets costing up to $20000. The Asian powerhouses clash at New York's Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on June 09.
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Here is everything you need to know about Pakistan’s group stage schedule, venues, and opponents as they get set for ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024.
Games and venues:
June 6, 2024
Pakistan vs USA: Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium, Dallas, USA: 09:00 PM (IST)
June 9, 2024
Pakistan vs India: Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York, USA: 08:00 PM (IST)
June 11, 2024
Pakistan vs Canada: Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York, USA: 08:00 PM (IST)
June 16, 2024
Pakistan vs Ireland: Central Broward Park & Broward County Stadium, Lauderhill, Florida, USA: 08:00 PM (IST)
Pakistan T20 World Cup 2024 Squad: Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan.
Player support personnel: Wahab Riaz (senior team manager), Mansoor Rana (team manager), Gary Kirsten (head coach), Azhar Mahmood (assistant coach), Simon Helmot (fielding coach), David Reid (mental performance coach), Aftab Khan (high performance coach), Cliffe Deacon (physiotherapist), Irtaza Komail (chief security officer), Mohammad Imran (masseur), Mohammad Khurram Sarwar (team doctor), Talha Ijaz (analyst), Raza Kitchlew (media and digital manager) and Drikus Saaiman (strength and conditioning coach).
(Compiled by Pranav.A)
