The 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup is set to create cricketing history as it makes its way to the Caribbean and the USA. ESPNcricinfo has revealed that the tournament is scheduled to take place from June 4 to 30, with matches being played across ten vibrant venues.
Excitingly, this global event will mark the first time an international cricket tournament will be hosted in the USA. An ICC team recently inspected potential venues in the country, including Lauderhill in Florida, which has already hosted international matches and is gearing up to host the West Indies vs. India clash in the upcoming fortnight. Additionally, the shortlisted venues in the USA include Morrisville, Dallas, and New York, where thrilling tournament matches and warm-ups are anticipated.
Morrisville and Dallas are presently playing host to the inaugural edition of Major League Cricket in the USA. While these venues hold immense potential, they still await international venue status, a prerequisite according to ICC regulations. The final decision on the selected venues will be collaboratively made by the ICC along with Cricket West Indies (CWI) and USA Cricket (USAC) in the following months.
Recently, Ireland, Scotland, and Papua New Guinea secured their spots in the 20-team T20 World Cup through the regional qualifiers pathway formulated by the ICC. The Americas, Africa, and Asia regions will soon witness their qualifiers for one spot and two spots respectively.
Ahead of the regional qualifiers, twelve teams had already secured their berths in the tournament, including the hosts West Indies and USA, along with the top eight teams from the 2022 T20 World Cup. Afghanistan and Bangladesh secured their spots based on their positions in the T20I rankings, completing the 20-team roster.
The 2024 World Cup format will deviate from the last two editions, with the 20 teams divided into four groups of five each during the first round. The top two teams from each group will then advance to the Super 8s. The Super 8 teams will further be divided into two groups of four, and the top two from each group will make their way to the semi-finals.
The upcoming 2024 T20 World Cup marks the commencement of the ICC’s next commercial cycle from 2024-31, which was finalized in 2021. The decision to co-host the tournament in the USA stems from the ICC’s strategic objectives: tapping into the North American market as a potential area for cricket’s growth and boosting the sport’s prospects for inclusion in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games (LA28).
By selecting the USA as a co-host, the ICC aims to enhance the chances of cricket’s presence in LA28. A presentation has already been made to the LA28 team, and a final decision by the International Olympics Committee is expected later this year.
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