T20 WC 2024: India to face Pakistan on June 9 in New York; details here
New Delhi, Jan 5: The riveting cricketing rivalry between India and Pakistan will reach planet's biggest show city New York on June 9 when the arch-rivals go against each other there in a Group A match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.
The schedule for the showpiece was revealed on Friday, and India are clubbed with Pakistan, Ireland, Canada and co-hosts USA in Group A for the league stage games.
India will open their World Cup campaign with a match against Ireland on June 5 in New York.
After facing Pakistan, India will stay back in New York to take on the co-host nation on June 12, and then will travel to Florida to play against Canada in their final group assignment on June 15.
The tournament is being co-hosted by the West Indies and the USA with 20 teams, divided into four groups of five sides each, making it the largest ever T20 World Cup. Sixteen teams contested in the last edition in 2022 in Australia.
The tournament will start on June 1 with a match between the USA and Canada. The semi-finals are scheduled for June 26 in Guyana and June 27 in Trinidad while Barbados will host the final on June 29.
England are the title holders, having beaten Pakistan in Melbourne in November 2022.
The group stage matches will be played from June 1 to 18 while the Super 8 games are slotted from June 19 to 24.
The top two teams from each group will enter the Super 8, where the teams will be clubbed into two groups of four each.
The top two teams in each Super 8 group will advance to the semifinals.
A total of 55 games will be played across six venues in the West Indies -- Kensington Oval, Barbados; Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad; Providence Stadium, Guyana; Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua; Darren Sammy Cricket Ground, St Lucia; Arnos Vale Stadium, St Vincent -- and three stadiums in the USA -- Eisenhower Park, New York; Lauderhill, Florida and Grand Prairie, Texas.
Group A: India, Pakistan, Ireland, Canada, USA.
Group B: England, Australia, Namibia, Scotland, Oman.
Group C: New Zealand, West Indies, Afghanistan, Uganda, Papua New Guinea.
Group D: South Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Netherlands, Nepal.
Full fixtures for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024
Sat, 1 June 2024 - USA v CANADA, Dallas
Sun, 2 June 2024 - WEST INDIES v PAPUA NEW GUINEA, Guyana
Sun, 2 June 2024 - NAMIBIA v OMAN, Barbados
Mon, 3 June 2024 - SL v SOUTH AFRICA, New York
Mon, 3 June 2024 - AFGHANISTAN v UGANDA, Guyana
Tue, 4 June 2024 - ENGLAND v SCOTLAND, Barbados
Tue, 4 June 2024 - NETHERLANDS v NEPAL, Dallas
Wed, 5 June 2024 - INDIA v IRELAND, New York
Wed, 5 June 2024 - PAPUA NEW GUINEA v UGANDA, Guyana
Wed, 5 June 2024 - AUSTRALIA v OMAN, Barbados
Thur, 6 June 2024 - USA v PAKISTAN, Dallas
Thur, 6 June 2024 - NAMIBIA v SCOTLAND, Barbados
Fri, 7 June 2024 - CANADA v IRELAND, New York
Fri, 7 June 2024 - NEW ZEALAND v AFGHANISTAN, Guyana
Fri, 7 June 2024 - SRI LANKA v BANGLADESH, Dallas
Sat, 8 June 2024 - NETHERLANDS v SOUTH AFRICA, New York
Sat, 8 June 2024 - AUSTRALIA v ENGLAND, Barbados
Sat, 8 June 2024 - WEST INDIES v UGANDA, Guyana
Sun, 9 June 2024 - INDIA v PAKISTAN, New York
Sun, 9 June 2024 - OMAN v SCOTLAND, Antigua
Mon, 10 June 2024 - SOUTH AFRICA v BANGLADESH, New York
Tue, 11 June 2024 - PAKISTAN v CANADA, New York
Tue, 11 June 2024 - SRI LANKA v NEPAL, Florida
Tue, 11 June 2024 - AUSTRALIA v NAMIBIA, Antigua
Wed, 12 June 2024 - USA v INDIA, New York
Wed, 12 June 2024 - WEST INDIES v NEW ZEALAND, Trinidad
Thur, 13 June 2024 - ENGLAND v OMAN, Antigua
Thur, 13 June 2024 - BANGLADESH v NETHERLANDS, St. Vincent
Thur, 13 June 2024 - AFGHANISTAN v PAPUA NEW GUINEA, Trinidad
Fri, 14 June 2024 - USA v IRELAND, Florida
Fri, 14 June 2024 - SOUTH AFRICA v NEPAL, St. Vincent
Fri, 14 June 2024 - NEW ZEALAND v UGANDA, Trinidad
Sat, 15 June 2024 - INDIA v CANADA, Florida
Sat, 15 June 2024 - NAMIBIA v ENGLAND, Antigua
Sat, 15 June 2024 - AUSTRALIA v SCOTLAND, St. Lucia
Sun, 16 June 2024 - PAKISTAN v IRELAND, Florida
Sun, 16 June 2024 - BANGLADESH v NEPAL, St. Vincent
Sun, 16 June 2024 - SRI LANKA v NETHERLANDS, St. Lucia
Mon, 17 June 2024 - NEW ZEALAND v PAPUA NEW GUINEA, Trinidad
Mon, 17 June 2024 - WEST INDIES v AFGHANISTAN, St. Lucia
Wed, 19 June 2024 - A2 v D1, Antigua
Wed, 19 June 2024 - B1 v C2, St. Lucia
Thur, 20 June 2024 - C1 v A1, Barbados
Thur, 20 June 2024 - B2 v D2, Antigua
Fri, 21 June 2024 - B1 v D1, St. Lucia
Fri, 21 June 2024 - A2 v C2, Barbados
Sat, 22 June 2024 - A1 v D2, Antigua
Sat, 22 June 2024 - C1 v B2, St. Vincent
Sun, 23 June 2024 - A2 v B1, Barbados
Sun, 23 June 2024 - C2 v D1, Antigua
Mon, 24 June 2024 - B2 v A1, St. Lucia
Mon, 24 June 2024 - C1 v D2, St. Vincent
Wed, 26 June 2024 - Semi 1, Guyana
Thur, 27 June 2024 - Semi 2, Trinidad
Sat, 29 June 2024 - Final, Barbados
Get ready for the ultimate cricket carnival in the West Indies and the USA 🥁
— ICC (@ICC) January 5, 2024
Unveiling the fixtures for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 🗓️ 🤩#T20WorldCup | Details 👇
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China starts new drills in Taiwan Strait against ‘separatist forces’
Beijing (PTI): China on Monday launched massive military drills in the middle areas of the Taiwan Strait as a “punitive and deterrent” action against Taiwan’s separatist forces, days after the US announced a record USD 11.1 billion arms sales to Taipei.
The two drills, in which a host of advanced fighter jets, long-range rockets and naval ships are involved, came amid rising diplomatic tensions with Japan over Taiwan that Beijing claims as its territory.
"The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theatre Command is employing fighters, bombers and unmanned aerial vehicles in coordination with long-range rocket fires to conduct drills in the waters and airspace in the middle areas of the Taiwan Strait on Monday," a Chinese military announcement said.
China has been conducting high-intensity military exercises around Taiwan since 2022, following then US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taipei.
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This is the sixth such drill. These exercises are widely interpreted as rehearsals for military action against the self-governing island which Beijing claims as part of its mainland.
The drills are a punitive and deterrent action against separatist forces who seek “Taiwan independence” through military build-up, and a necessary move to safeguard China’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a media briefing here.
Nothing will deter China from defending national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity. Anyone who crosses the line or makes provocations on the question will be met with China’s firm response. All attempts to hold back China’s reunification will invariably fail, he said.
Asked whether the drills were in retaliation to the US record arms sales to Taiwan, Lin said, “Anyone who crosses the line or makes provocations on the question will be met with China’s firm response”.
Taiwan condemned China's military drills, saying Beijing is using military intimidation to threaten neighbouring countries.
In its reaction to the drills Taiwan's Defence Ministry said in a post on X that rapid response exercises were underway, with forces on high alert to defend the island
In a separate statement, the ministry said it had deployed appropriate forces in response, conducting combat readiness drills.
Spokesperson for the Taiwanese president's office, Karen Kuo was quoted as saying that the drills undermined the stability and security of the Taiwan Strait and Indo-Pacific region and openly challenged international law and order.
A PLA statement said the drills focussed on striking mobile ground targets and intended to test the troops' capabilities of precision strikes on key targets.
The drills in which fighters, bombers, long range rockets and unmanned aerial vehicles will be used comes in the backdrop of the US approval of a record USD 11.1 billion arms package to Taipei which China sharply criticised and diplomatic tensions with Japan over Taiwan.
US President Donald Trump approved an arms package worth USD 11.1 billion for Taiwan, which, if cleared by the US Congress, would mark Washington's largest-ever arms sale to the island.
The arms sale aids Taiwan's independence forces' plans to turn the island into a powder keg, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a media briefing here on December 18, reacting to Trump's approval to the arms sale.
"China will take resolute and strong measures to defend its national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity," he said.
The arms sales to Taiwan comes in the backdrop of rising China-Japan tensions over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's remarks in parliament on November 7 that a Taiwan contingency could be a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan that may lead to action from the country's defence forces in support of the US.
Her remarks angered China, which demanded Takaichi to retract her statement.
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China has also criticised Japan's move to develop the easternmost island of Okinawa for the deployment of a mobile surveillance radar unit to monitor Chinese aircraft carriers and airplanes.
The Japanese side kept strengthening targeted military deployment near Taiwan region and even claimed it will deploy mid-range missiles, he said.
This time, it went even further by deploying a radar unit and troops to secretly monitor its neighbour," Guo said.
"Given the erroneous and dangerous remarks made by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Taiwan, we must question: Is the Japanese side making trouble and provocations at one's doorstep to find a pretext for its military build-up and missions overseas," he said.
