ICC 9th T20 World Cup Kicks Off
September 10, 2023, Asia Cup Super-4 match and India-Pakistan faceoff. India came out to bat, Rohit Sharma and Shubhman Gill were playing well. Both had completed their fifties when Rohit got out in the 17th over and Gill got out in the 18th over. Kohli and Rahul were the new batsmen at the crease. Rain interrupted the match in the 25th over, and the match was stopped.
However, this match had a special reserve day. The next day, Kohli-Rahul put up a century partnership, and India set a target of 357. Pakistan was all out for 128, losing the match by 228 runs. There was controversy over the special treatment given to this match. Former Indian cricketer Venkatesh Prasad and former Sri Lankan cricketer Arjuna Ranatunga openly criticized the decision of the Asian Cricket Council. Sri Lanka-Bangladesh fans also protested against it.
This story is significant because today marks the start of the 9th World Cup of ICC’s smallest format, where 20 teams will play for the first time. For the first time in the tournament, both semifinals will be played on the same day, June 27, with one having a reserve day and the other not. In such a scenario, if rain affects the match in the non-reserve day semifinal, a new controversy could start.
Read in-depth about the format, schedule, rules, and every essential thing you need to know about the tournament in Part-8 of the World Cup report…
Return of the group stage format after 12 years
The T20 World Cup is returning to the group stage format after 2012. This time, 20 teams have been divided into 4 groups of 5 each. The top 2 teams from each group in the points table will advance to the Super-8 stage. The remaining 3 teams from each group will be eliminated.
In the 2007 tournament, 12 teams participated, and there was also a group stage. Until 2012, neither the format changed nor did the number of teams increase. There were 14 teams in 2014 and 2016. Here, 8 teams directly entered the Super-10, while the remaining 6 teams played qualifiers to make it to the Super-10.
The Super-12 round came in 2021 and 2022, and the teams increased to 16. Here, 8 teams directly entered the Super-12. While the remaining 8 teams, out of which 4 teams played qualifiers to reach the Super-12. Now in 2024, the return to the group stage format has happened, and the number of teams has been increased to 20.
A minimum of 10 overs of play is necessary for the DLS method in the second innings of the semifinal and final. Under the DLS method, if the overs are reduced, the team batting second gets a revised, i.e., a new target.
Question-8: What will happen if the toss is not held due to rain?
If a match in the group and Super-8 stage does not happen due to rain on the scheduled day, it will be considered as no result. This means both teams will get 1-1 point each. Whereas in the event of a result, the winning team gets 2 points, and the losing team gets no points.