Tag: T20 World Cup 2024

DUBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Friday, unveiled a list of 26 match officials for the first-round matches of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, scheduled to take place in the West Indies and USA.

The match officials comprising 20 umpires and six match referees, all set to officiate in the ninth edition of the Men’s T20 World Cup.

The sublime list of umpires includes last year’s winner of the David Shepherd Trophy for ICC Umpire of the Year, Richard Illingworth, along with Kumar Dharmasena, Chris Gaffaney and Paul Reiffel.

Notably, all the aforementioned umpires officiated in the T20 World Cup 2022 final between Pakistan and England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The match referees’ team, on the other hand, features Ranjan Madugalle, who officiated the 2022 final, alongside the format’s most experienced referee, Jeff Crowe.

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ICC General Manager Cricket Wasim Khan reflected on the selection of top match officials for this year’s cricket extravaganza and expressed his confidence in their abilities to perform well.

“We are pleased to announce our team of match referees and umpires for the historic ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

“Within the selected cohort, we have a compliment of experienced match officials and other high performing members who have been recognized for their strong and consistent performances.

“The throughput from the pathway programme will continue to see the development and emergence of high-quality match officials across the game.

“With 20 teams and 55 matches played over 28 days, this will be the biggest T20 World Cup ever and we are proud of the team we have assembled. We are confident that our officials will perform strongly.

“We wish them all the best of luck for what promises to be a very exciting tournament.”

The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 is slated to run from June 1 to 29 and will be co-hosted by the USA and West Indies. The tournament kicks off with co-host USA taking on Canada in the curtain raiser at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas.

The ninth edition of the mega event features a record 20 teams, divided into four groups. The top two teams from each of the groups will qualify for the Super Eight phase, where the sides will be split into two groups of four.

The top two in each group will then make their way to the semi-finals.

The Match Officials for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024:

Umpires: Chris Brown, Kumar Dharmasena, Chris Gaffaney, Michael Gough, Adrian Holdstock, Richard Illingworth, Allahudien Paleker, Richard Kettleborough, Jayaraman Madanagopal, Nitin Menon, Sam Nogajski, Ahsan Raza, Rashid Riaz, Paul Reiffel, Langton Rusere, Shahid Saikat, Rodney Tucker, Alex Wharf, Joel Wilson and Asif Yaqoob.

Match referees: David Boon, Jeff Crowe, Ranjan Madugalle, Andrew Pycroft, Richie Richardson and Javagal Srinath.

READ: ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 official anthem released

DUBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday, released the highly-anticipated anthem “Out of this World” for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, featuring Sean Paul and Soca Superstar Kes.

Produced by Michael “Tano” Montano, the enthusiastic soundtrack features appearances by some of the most notable figures in sports.

That includes eight-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt and West Indies cricket superstars Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

The music video also features current cricket players like West Indies’ Stafanie Taylor and the United States of America (USA) bowler Ali Khan and other Caribbean personalities.

Speaking about the official T20 World Cup 2024 anthem, Grammy award-winning singer Sean Paul stated that the soundtrack is about Caribbean pride and positive energy.

“I have always believed that music, like cricket, has the power to bring people together in unity and celebration.

“This song is all about positive energy and Caribbean pride and I can’t wait for the carnival of cricket to get started and hear everyone singing along to the anthem, bringing the party to stadiums across the West Indies and USA.”

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Kes, on the other hand, shared that he feels honoured to write and record the official anthem for the T20 World Cup.

“Cricket has always been a major part of Caribbean culture, so I’m honoured to write and record the official anthem for the T20 World Cup.

Respect goes out to the entire crew whose creative input inspired this anthem. The track embodies the vibrant culture and energy of cricket and is a real anthem for people to sing out and feel the spirit of unity.”

T20 World Cup 2024 is slated to take place from June 1 to 29 and will be co-hosted by the USA and West Indies. The tournament kicks off with co-host USA taking on Canada in the curtain raiser at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas.

The ninth edition of the mega event features a record 20 teams, divided into four groups. The top two teams from each of the groups will qualify for the Super Eight phase, where the sides will be split into two groups of four.

The top two in each group will then make their way to the semi-finals.

READ: Pakistan selectors reveal reason behind Hasan Ali’s selection

Zimbabwe missing next month’s ICC T20 World Cup 2024 would haunt the team for years, captain Sikandar Raza said Thursday on the eve of their white-ball series in Bangladesh.

Minnows Namibia and Uganda beat out Zimbabwe in the African leg of the qualifiers last year to join the world’s top teams at the tournament, jointly hosted by the United States of America (USA) and the West Indies.

“I think that’s something that will always be painful. Not just when we play, I think even when we retire,” Sikandar Raza told reporters in Chittagong.

“It’s not just pain that we’re feeling now, I think it’s something that we’re going to have to carry for a long time.”

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But he added that Zimbabwe had no shortage of motivation for their time in Bangladesh, with the first of five T20 matches beginning in Chittagong on Friday.

“We have a huge responsibility back home as well for the people and the kids that are playing this sport and the kids who want to make a career out of this sport,” he said.

“The future of the sport in (my) country is enough motivation for me to try and take away the pain.”

Zimbabwe’s tour will also be Bangladesh’s last series at home before they depart for the T20 World Cup.

READ: Salman, Hasan, Haris named in Pakistan squad for Ireland, England tour

Canada have announced a 15-member squad under the leadership of all-rounder Saad Bin Zafar for their maiden ICC T20 World Cup campaign.

The squad comprises only three players aged under 30 – all-rounders Harsh Thaker, Nicholas Kirton, and Dilpreet Bajwa.

30-year-old Kanwarpal Tathgur, who has featured in eight only List A games and is yet to play an official T20 match, is also selected for the mega-event.

Guyana-born seamer Jeremy Gordon, who had made his debut for Canada in 2012, earned a recall into the Canada line-up along with 39-year-old all-rounder Junaid Siddiqui.

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Siddiqui last represented Canada in February 2022, meanwhile, batter Ravinderpal Singh, who also last played in 2022, is back in the side.

Canada will kick off their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign against co-hosts United States of America (USA) in the tournament opener in Dallas.

Canada squad for T20 World Cup

Saad Bin Zafar (c), Aaron Johnson, Dilon Heyliger, Dilpreet Bajwa, Harsh Thaker, Jeremy Gordon, Junaid Siddiqui, Kaleem Sana, Kanwarpal Tathgur (wk), Navneet Dhaliwal, Nicholas Kirton, Pargat Singh, Ravinderpal Singh, Rayyankhan Pathan and Shreyas Movva (wk)

Reserve players: Tajinder Singh (travelling), Aaditya Varadharajan, Ammar Khalid, Jatinder Matharu and Parveen Kumar

READ: Salman, Hasan, Haris named in Pakistan squad for Ireland, England tour

Oman have announced a 14-member squad and a new captain for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, scheduled to be co-hosted in the West Indies and the United States of America (USA).

All-rounder Aqib Ilyas has been appointed as the captain for the mega-event, replacing 36-year-old Zeeshan Maqsood, who was the captain since the 2016 T20 World Cup.

“I am truly honoured to be entrusted with the captaincy. It’s a huge responsibility, and I aim to lead the team to many victories,” stated Ilyas.

“We are preparing rigorously for the World Cup, and the recent ACC Premier Cup has provided us with invaluable preparation.”

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Notably, Oman will participate in the T20 World Cup for the second time during the upcoming edition, having featured in the 2021 edition by virtue of being coo-hosts along with UAE.

They are placed in Group B alongside Australia, England, Namibia and Scotland. They will kick off their campaign against Namibia on June 2 in Barbados.

Oman squad for T20 World Cup

Aqib Ilyas (c), Zeeshan Maqsood, Kashyap Prajapati, Pratik Athavale (wk), Ayaan Khan, Shoaib Khan, Mohammad Nadeem, Naseem Khushi (wk), Mehran Khan, Bilal Khan, Rafiullah, Kaleemullah, Fayyaz Butt, and Shakeel Ahmad.

Reserve players: Jatinder Singh, Samay Shrivastava, Sufyan Mehmood, Jay Odedra

READ: Salman, Hasan, Haris named in Pakistan squad for Ireland, England tour

Nepal on Wednesday named their squad for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2024 with Rohit Paudel as captain and boasting the power-hitting of Dipendra Singh Airee.

The 21-year-old Paudel has been among the runs in an ongoing unofficial T20 series against the West Indies A as he led the team in the opening win with a 54-ball 112.

Meanwhile, Airee recently became the third male batter to hit six sixes in an over in T20Is during the ACC Men’s Premier Cup game against Qatar.

He joined India’s Yuvraj Singh, who made his runs off England’s Stuart Broad in Durban in the 2007 T20 World Cup, and West Indian slugger Kieron Pollard who hammered Sri Lanka’s Akila Dananjaya in Antigua in 2021.

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For the unversed, Dipendra Singh Airee also holds the record for scoring the fastest half-century in the history of T20 cricket in a record-breaking Asian Games match between Nepal and Mongolia.

Nepal, who will be making their second appearance in the T20 World Cup after their debut in 2014, lost the next two matches to trail the five-match series 2-1.

Aarif Sheikh, Bibek Yadav and Aakash Chand miss out on the 15-man World Cup squad.

Nepal will play their World Cup opener against the Netherlands in Dallas on June 4. They will also play group games against South Africa, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Nepal squad for T20 World Cup

Rohit Paudel (c), Aasif Sheikh, Anil Kumar Sah, Kushal Bhurtel, Kushal Malla, Dipendra Singh Airee, Lalit Rajbanshi, Karan KC, Gulshan Jha, Sompal Kami, Pratis GC, Sundeep Jora, Abinash Bohara, Sagar Dhakal, Kamal Singh Airee

READ: Babar closes gap with top-ranked Suryakumar in ICC T20I Batting Rankings

Former captain Steve Smith and rising talent Jake Fraser-McGurk were notable omissions as Australia named their squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, scheduled to be co-hosted in the West Indies and the United States of America (USA).

All-rounder Mitchell Marsh will captain the side, while veteran opening batsman David Warner has been picked for what is shaping as his final international tournament.

“Mitchell has been an exemplary player and leader within the group for a long period of time,” said Cricket Australia chair Mike Baird.

Test skipper Pat Cummins, paceman Mitchell Starc and explosive batting all-rounder Glenn Maxwell are among the experienced players in the 15-man squad, with 11 having taken part in the 2021 T20 World Cup-winning campaign.

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Selector George Bailey said there had been “long conversations” about whether to include talismanic batsman Smith in the side, following a dip in his limited-overs form.

Bailey said selectors would be keeping a close eye on the 22-year-old Fraser-McGurk, who has been in rampant batting form for the Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League.

“Ultimately the balance of the final 15 needs to provide the best chance of being successful in this campaign,” Bailey said.

Australia squad for T20 World Cup

Mitchell Marsh (c), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa

READ: Rashid Khan to lead as Afghanistan announce squad for T20 World Cup

KABUL: The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on Tuesday, unveiled a 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, scheduled to be co-hosted in West Indies and the United States of America (USA).

Star spinner Rashid Khan has been named to lead the Afghanistan squad, which features six all-rounders.

Afghanistan made notable changes to their squad, compared to the 2022 editions with Karim Jannat, Mohammad Ishaq, and Noor Ahmad making a cut.

Meanwhile, middle-order batter Hashmatullah Shahidi, who led Afghanistan in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup last year in India, was not picked with his last appearance in T20Is coming in 2022.

Young spinner Nangyal Kharoti, who made his international debut in March against Ireland, managed to seal a spot in the squad at the back of his impressive performances.

The 20-year-old claimed five wickets in the three-match series against Ireland at an economy of just 5.90.

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Wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Ishaq is another youngster to have secured a spot in the Afghanistan squad after being part of the team in the 2020 and 2022 ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cups.

Rashid will lead Afghanistan’s strong spin department which features Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Nangyal Kharoti and veteran Mohammad Nabi.

Naveen-ul-Haq, Fareed Ahmad and Fazalhaq Farooq all retained their spots and will make up Afghanistan’s fast-bowling line-up in the T20 World Cup.

Afghanistan Squad for T20 World Cup

Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Ishaq, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan (c), Nangyal Kharoti, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad Malik

Reserves: Sediq Atal, Hazratullah Zazai, Saleem Safi

READ: West Indies come from behind to down Pakistan in third T20I

Wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant was named in India’s 15-member squad on Tuesday for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, scheduled in the West Indies and the United States of America (USA).

All-rounder Shivam Dube and wicket-keeper Sanju Samson have also been included in the squad for the 20-team event, starting from June 1.

Rohit Sharma will lead the squad, while Hardik Pandya will serve as his deputy during the T20 World Cup.

Pant recently made his return to cricket during the ongoing IPL after being on the sidelines due to injuries suffered during a horrific car accident in December 2022.

The left-handed batter is currently the fourth-highest run-scorer in his comeback tournament with 398 runs at an average of 44.22 and an impressive strike rate of 158.56.

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Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, who last played for India against West Indies in August 2023, earned a recall after his impressive showing in the IPL.

He will join all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel along with Kuldeep Yadav to form India’s spin attack.

Meanwhile, top-order batter Shubman Gill and lower-order batter Rinku Singh were named as reserve players along with pacers Khaleel Ahmed and Avesh Khan.

India will kick off their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign against Ireland on June 5 in New York, followed by the much-anticipated clash against arch-rivals Pakistan on June 9.

India T20 World Cup squad

Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya (vc), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

Reserve players: Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Avesh Khan

READ: Jofra Archer returns to England squad for ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024

Defending champions England have announced a 15-member squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 on Tuesday, featuring fast bowler Jofra Archer.

The 20-team tournament is scheduled to be played in the West Indies and the United States of America (USA) from June 1 to 29.

“Jofra Archer has recovered from his right elbow injury and is named in the squad. Archer’s last appearance at this level came over a year ago in England’s tour of Bangladesh in March 2023,” England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) press release stated.

The right-arm fast bowler was instrumental to England’s ICC World 2019 triumph, however, he has been struggling with injuries since then.

He has represented England in 15 T20Is, taking 18 wickets, before spending last year on the sidelines owing to the above-mentioned elbow injury.

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Meanwhile, all-rounder Chris Woakes was dropped in favour of fellow all-rounder Chris Jordan, who last represented England in September 2023 against New Zealand.

Uncapped left-arm spinner Tom Hartley, who claimed 22 wickets during his first Test series against India recently, also earned a call-up for the T20 World Cup.

Jos Buttler will lead the squad, who will play in the T20I series against Pakistan, which will kick off on May 22 before departing for the Caribbean.

Meanwhile, England will commence their T20 World Cup defence against Scotland in Barbados on June 4.

England T20 World Cup squad

Jos Buttler (c), Phil Salt, Will Jacks, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Duckett, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali (vc), Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, Tom Hartley, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Reece Topley

READ: South Africa announce ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 squad