ICC World T20 2016: Fixtures, Tables, TV Schedule, Live Stream Info, Preview
Sri Lanka will be hoping to become the first nation to defend their title at the 2016 ICC World Twenty20 tournament in India.
The hosts, meanwhile, will be looking to avenge their defeat in the 2014 final and add to their win in 2007.
Former champions England, Pakistan and West Indies will also be battling it out with the likes of Australia and New Zealand, while the 16-team format pits minnows such as Hong Kong and Oman against each other for the right to join their illustrious opposition in the Super 10.
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Here are the eight teams that will contest the group stage—comprised of the six associate teams to qualify and the two lowest-ranked full ICC members, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh:
| 1 | Bangladesh |
| 2 | Ireland |
| 3 | Netherlands |
| 4 | Oman |
| 1 | Afghanistan |
| 2 | Hong Kong |
| 3 | Scotland |
| 4 | Zimbabwe |
The winners of each group will then join the top eight ICC members to form the Super 10s:
| 1 | England |
| 2 | South Africa |
| 3 | Sri Lanka |
| 4 | Group B Winners |
| 5 | West Indies |
| 1 | Australia |
| 2 | India |
| 3 | New Zealand |
| 4 | Pakistan |
| 5 | Group A Winners |
Here is the full fixture schedule for the tournament:
| Match 1 | Group B | Tuesday, Mar 8 | 9:30 a.m. | Zimbabwe vs. Hong Kong |
| Match 2 | Group B | Tuesday, Mar 8 | 2 p.m. | Scotland vs. Afghanistan |
| Match 3 | Group A | Wednesday, Mar 9 | 9:30 a.m. | Bangladesh vs. Netherlands |
| Match 4 | Group A | Wednesday, Mar 9 | 2 p.m. | Ireland vs. Oman |
| Match 5 | Group B | Thursday, Mar 10 | 9:30 a.m. | Scotland vs. Zimbabwe |
| Match 6 | Group B | Thursday, Mar 10 | 2 p.m. | Hong Kong vs. Afghanistan |
| Match 7 | Group A | Friday, Mar 11 | 9:30 a.m. | Netherlands vs. Oman |
| Match 8 | Group A | Friday, Mar 11 | 2 p.m. | Bangladesh vs. Ireland |
| Match 9 | Group B | Saturday, Mar 12 | 9:30 a.m. | Zimbabwe vs. Afghanistan |
| Match 10 | Group B | Saturday, Mar 12 | 2 p.m. | Scotland vs. Hong Kong |
| Match 11 | Group A | Sunday, Mar 13 | 9:30 a.m. | Netherlands vs. Ireland |
| Match 12 | Group A | Sunday, Mar 13 | 2 p.m. | Bangladesh vs. Oman |
| Match 13 | Group 2 | Tuesday, Mar 15 | 2 p.m. | New Zealand vs. India |
| Match 14 | Group 2 | Wednesday, Mar 16 | 9:30 a.m. | Pakistan vs. A1 |
| Match 15 | Group 1 | Wednesday, Mar 16 | 2 p.m. | West Indies vs. England |
| Match 16 | Group 1 | Thursday, Mar 17 | 2 p.m. | Sri Lanka vs. B1 |
| Match 17 | Group 2 | Friday, Mar 18 | 9:30 a.m. | Australia vs. New Zealand |
| Match 18 | Group 1 | Friday, Mar 18 | 2 p.m. | South Africa vs. England |
| Match 19 | Group 2 | Saturday, Mar 19 | 2 p.m. | India vs. Pakistan |
| Match 20 | Group 1 | Sunday, Mar 20 | 9:30 a.m. | South Africa vs. B1 |
| Match 21 | Group 1 | Sunday, Mar 20 | 2 p.m. | Sri Lanka vs. West Indies |
| Match 22 | Group 2 | Monday, Mar 21 | 2 p.m. | Australia vs. A1 |
| Match 23 | Group 2 | Tuesday, Mar 22 | 2 p.m. | New Zealand vs. Pakistan |
| Match 24 | Group 1 | Wednesday, Mar 23 | 9:30 a.m. | England vs. B1 |
| Match 25 | Group 2 | Wednesday, Mar 23 | 2 p.m. | India vs. A1 |
| Match 26 | Group 2 | Friday, Mar 25 | 9:30 a.m. | Pakistan vs. Australia |
| Match 27 | Group 1 | Friday, Mar 25 | 2 p.m. | South Africa vs. West Indies |
| Match 28 | Group 2 | Saturday, Mar 26 | 9:30 a.m. | A1 vs. New Zealand |
| Match 29 | Group 1 | Saturday, Mar 26 | 2 p.m. | Sri Lanka vs. England |
| Match 30 | Group 1 | Sunday, Mar 27 | 9:30 a.m. | B1 vs. West Indies |
| Match 31 | Group 2 | Sunday, Mar 27 | 2 p.m. | India vs. Australia |
| Match 32 | Group 1 | Monday, Mar 28 | 2 p.m. | South Africa vs. Sri Lanka |
| Semi-Final 1 | Knockout | Wednesday, Mar 30 | 1:30 p.m. | TBD vs. TBD |
| Semi-Final 2 | Knockout | Thursday, Mar 31 | 1:30 p.m. | TBD vs. TBD |
| Final | Knockout | Sunday, Apr 3 | 1:30 p.m. | TBD vs. TBD |
Every match will be televised live on Sky Sports and can be streamed live online via Sky Go.
Preview
India enjoyed the perfect preparation for the tournament by winning the Asia Cup on Sunday—their sixth title—beating Bangladesh in the final by eight wickets. The men in blue won all five of their matches in the competition.
Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli were crucial to their efforts, and they scored 101 of India's 122 runs between them in the final—the former knocking 60 and the latter an unbeaten 41.
As ESPN Cricinfo noted, Kohli has an incredible average when chasing a score in T20s with India:
Indeed, with Kohli on form, their magnificent record at chasing as a team is understandable, per cricket statistician Mohandas Menon:
Cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle picked him as his player of the tournament, while writer Peter Miller hailed the impressive chemistry he and Dhawan have together:
MS Dhoni finished the match in style, entering the fray at the end and seeing out the win with an unbeaten 20 from just six balls. Bhogle highlighted his finishing as a real boon for India and believes their form bodes well for them going forward:
Indeed, if they can maintain their momentum into the tournament, they'll stand an excellent chance of claiming the trophy on home soil.
In Group 1, England will feel they have a lot to prove following last year's disastrous 50-over World Cup campaign, in which they won just twice in six matches—beating only Scotland and Afghanistan.
Per the Sun's John Etheridge, Steven Finn's absence will be a big setback for England:
Eoin Morgan's side have just lost a two-match series in South Africa and struggled to threaten the Proteas in either.
However, former England star turned coach Paul Collingwood is optimistic over their chances and feels they have vastly improved since their World Cup humiliation. Per Jonathan Liew of the Telegraph, he said:
"Everybody who’s been watching the white-ball form of the game over the past year has probably been surprised about how quickly we’ve turned things around. Morgan’s captaincy has been exceptional as well. We’ve made great strides in getting our white-ball cricket to a different level from what it’s ever been. It’s as exciting as at any time in England’s history.
We can beat the best teams. We’ve proven that. Enjoying our cricket is going to be a huge factor. It’s not all about technical stuff. Sometimes the bravest team will go out and win the thing. You don’t win things by being conservative, and this team has certainly not been conservative. We’ve lost the last few games, but it shouldn’t hurt us too much.
"
Key to their fortunes will be wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler, who capped off an excellent winter with his move to the top of England's T20 MVP rankings thanks to his incredible knock of 54 runs in just 28 balls in the most recent match with South Africa.
The 25-year-old's ability to perform under pressure at the crease and reliably deliver behind the stumps makes him vital to England's chances in India.
If he can continue to lead by example and carry his form into the tournament, England may well earn the redemption they seek.
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