World T20 2014 Groups: Fixtures, Schedule and Format in Bangladesh
The World T20 in Bangladesh is just around the corner, with a total of 16 teams converging for the fifth edition of the competition.
West Indies travel as defending champions, while a number of ICC Associate members have the chance to qualify for the main tournament in the group stage.
As the teams prepare, let’s take a look at what they can expect in the tournament, which has an enlarged format and promises to be another fascinating three weeks of T20 cricket.
Format
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Made up of 16 teams—10 ICC Full Members and six ICC Associate Members—the World T20 begins on March 16, with the final held three weeks later on April 6 in Dhaka.
Initially, eight teams enter the group stage to decide which two will qualify for the next round of the tournament.
Full Members Bangladesh and Zimbabwe join the six Associate Members to make up two groups of four, with the two Test-playing countries kept apart at this stage.
Matches at this stage will largely be played in Chittagong and Sylhet, although the hosts face Afghanistan in Dhaka in what will be the tournament’s opening game.
The top team from each group advances to the Super 10, where they will face the eight Full Members who have qualified for that stage automatically.
Made up of two groups of five, the top nations in the world will then battle it out by playing each other once to see who will reach the final knockout stage.
The top two from each group will progress to the semifinals, with the winners of those matches playing in the final and the winning finalist crowned World T20 champion.
In all, it will be a breathless three-week schedule in which there will sometimes be two matches a day.
Teams
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At the group stage, Bangladesh are joined in Group A by Afghanistan, Hong Kong and Nepal.
The latter two are both making their World T20 debuts, while this is the third successive tournament the Afghans have qualified for as their meteoric rise has continued.
Both Hong Kong and Nepal are part of the ICC World Cricket League Division Two and came into this tournament by virtue of their final positions at the World T20 Qualifier last year.
Hong Kong finished sixth to take the last qualifying place, while Nepal finished third to reach their first major ICC competition.
In Group B, Zimbabwe will face the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates and Ireland in what promises to be a very tight group indeed.
UAE have qualified for the World T20 for the first time, with their last appearance at a major ICC tournament coming at the 1996 Cricket World Cup.
This is the second time the Dutch have reached the World T20, the last time being 2009 when they took a shock win in the group stage over hosts England.
Finally, ICC Full Members Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and 2012 champions West Indies await in the Super 10.
Group-Stage Fixtures
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Group A
| Date | Match | Venue |
| March 16 | Bangladesh vs. Afghanistan | Mirpur |
| March 16 | Nepal vs. Hong Kong | Chittagong |
| March 18 | Afghanistan vs. Hong Kong | Chittagong |
| March 18 | Bangladesh vs. Nepal | Chittagong |
| March 20 | Afghanistan vs. Nepal | Chittagong |
| March 20 | Bangladesh vs. Hong Kong | Chittagong |
Group B
| Date | Match | Venue |
| March 17 | Zimbabwe vs. Ireland | Sylhet |
| March 17 | Netherlands vs. UAE | Sylhet |
| March 19 | Zimbabwe vs. Netherlands | Sylhet |
| March 19 | Ireland vs. UAE | Sylhet |
| March 21 | Zimbabwe vs. UAE | Sylhet |
| March 21 | Ireland vs. Netherlands | Sylhet |
Super 10 Fixtures
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Group 1
| Date | Match | Venue |
| March 22 | South Africa vs. Sri Lanka | Chittagong |
| March 22 | England vs. New Zealand | Chittagong |
| March 24 | New Zealand vs. South Africa | Chittagong |
| March 24 | Sri Lanka vs. Group B Winner | Chittagong |
| March 27 | South Africa vs. Group B Winner | Chittagong |
| March 27 | England vs. Sri Lanka | Chittagong |
| March 29 | New Zealand vs. Group B Winner | Chittagong |
| March 29 | England vs. South Africa | Chittagong |
| March 31 | England vs. Group B Winner | Chittagong |
| March 31 | New Zealand vs. Sri Lanka | Chittagong |
Group 2
| Date | Match | Venue |
| March 21 | India vs. Pakistan | Mirpur |
| March 21 | Australia vs. Pakistan | Mirpur |
| March 23 | India vs. West Indies | Mirpur |
| March 25 | West Indies vs. Group A Winner | Mirpur |
| March 28 | Australia vs. West Indies | Mirpur |
| March 28 | India vs. Group A Winner | Mirpur |
| March 30 | Pakistan vs. Group A Winner | Mirpur |
| March 30 | Australia vs. India | Mirpur |
| April 1 | Australia vs. Group A Winner | Mirpur |
| April 1 | Pakistan vs. West Indies | Mirpur |
Knockout-Stage Fixtures
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| Date | Match | Venue |
| April 3 | Group 1 winner vs. Group 2 runner-up | Mirpur |
| April 4 | Group 2 winner vs. Group 1 runner-up | Mirpur |
| April 6 | Semifinal 1 winner vs. Semifinal 2 winner | Mirpur |
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