T20 World Cup: Nepal grouped with three Test sides, Dutch

KATHMANDU: Nepal will begin its 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup campaign with a match against the Netherlands in Dallas on June 4.

Co-host, the USA, will play against Canada in Dallas in the tournament opener on June 1.

The event features 20 teams split into four groups of five teams each. Nepal is placed in Group ‘D’ alongside three Test sides – South Africa, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh – and the Netherlands. Nepal will play its second match against Sri Lanka in Florida on June 11, while it takes on South Africa in St. Vincent on June 14. Nepal will play its final group game against Bangladesh in St. Vincent on June 16.

The top two teams from each group will qualify for the Super 8 round. The eight teams will again be divided into two groups of four teams in the Super 8. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semifinals.

The semifinals will be played in Guyana and Trinidad on June 26 and 27,  respectively, while the final will be held in Barbados on June 29.

The top eight performers from the 2022 Men’s T20 World Cup – Australia, England, India, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, and Sri Lanka – automatically earned their places in the 2024 event. In addition, the hosts – West Indies and the US – also secured automatic qualification, while Afghanistan and Bangladesh secured their spots based on their respective world rankings.

Similarly, eight teams qualified from different continental qualifier tournaments to fill the remaining slots. Namibia joined Uganda from the African qualifiers, while Ireland and Scotland were selected for the global event from Europe. Papua New Guinea won the East Asia-Pacific qualifier, while Canada secured its place by winning the Americas qualifier, and Oman and Nepal were selected from the Asian qualifiers.