Pakistan, India won't meet in group stage at T20 World Cup

DUBAI, Jan 29 (Agencies): Bitter rivals Pakistan and India will not meet in the group stage of the T20 World Cup under the draw announced on Tuesday for next year's event in Australia.

Both India and Pakistan have faced each other in five ICC tournaments since 2011 and will also meet again in the 50-over World Cup in England later this year.

The present T20 rankings have placed Pakistan and India in two different groups at the T20 World Cup. Pakistan is ranked No. 01 and India is ranked No. 02.

England and Australia are also in separate groups. England is in Group B, which also features India, South Africa, Afghanistan and the two qualifiers.

Australia is in Group A with Pakistan, West Indies, New Zealand and the two qualifying teams.

Sri Lanka and Bangladesh finished ninth and 10th respectively in the T20 rankings. They will play in a qualifying round, from which four teams will advance to the Super 12 stage in Australia. The top eight teams qualify directly.

Pakistan will open the tournament against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground on October 24. On the same day India plays South Africa in Perth.

Sydney and Adelaide will host the two semifinals on November 11 and 12, respectively.

The final is set for November 15 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Meanwhile, the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2020 will take place from February 21 to March 08 in 2020 in Australia, followed by the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2020 from October 18 to November 15, reports Cricbuzz.

This will be the first time when the women's and men's T20 World Cups will be held as standalone events in the same year and in the same country. Finals of both the tournaments will be held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

Ten women teams will contest 23 matches and 16 men teams will contest 45 matches across Australia in eight host cities and 13 venues.

Women's defending champions Australia will play India in the opening game of the tournament.

The eight top women's teams, according to their finishing positions at the World T20 2018 in the West Indies, have gained automatic qualification to the tournament, with the remaining two teams to be determined through a qualifying tournament to be held later in 2019.

India and Pakistan have been drawn in separate groups for both women's and men's edition, and the same goes for Australia and England.

The women's final at the MCG will be a chance to set a new world record for attendance at a women's sporting fixture, the current highest being 90,185 at the women's football World Cup final between Chile and the USA in 1999.