T20 World Cup 2014: Pakistan to play India on March 21

ICC announces match schedules which will be staged from 16 March to 6 April.

Pakistan will play against its traditional rival India on March 21 in the ICC World Twenty20 Bangladesh 2014.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Sunday announced the match schedules which will be staged from March 16 to April 6.

According to the ICC website, as many as 35 tournament matches will be played across Chittagong, Dhaka and Sylhet in the 22-day tournament.

The format for the event in next year’s tournament has been changed following an increase in teams from 12 to 16.

The prize money for the men’s event will be $3 million, with the winner receiving $1.1 million and the losing finalist collecting $550,000.

Format

As the teams’ seeding are based on the ICC T20 Team Rankings as on 8 October 2012, the top eight sides following the conclusion of the ICC World Twenty20 Sri Lanka 2012 will play directly in the Super 10 stage, while Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, which finished outside the top eight, will participate in the first round that will be held from 16-21 March.

The first round of the event will include eight sides that will be divided into two groups (Group A, B) of four teams each, with the table-toppers progressing to the Super 10 stage.

In the first round, Group A will feature host Bangladesh alongside three teams that will qualify from the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier UAE 2013, to be staged from 15 to 30 November. Group B will include Zimbabwe, which will be joined by another three teams from the upcoming qualifiers. As such, the two groups will be finalised on 30 November.

The Super 10 stage will start with an evening match between former champions India and Pakistan in Dhaka on Friday 21 March.

The two groups of the Super 10 stage are:

Group 1 – Sri Lanka, England, South Africa, New Zealand, Group B Qualifier 1 (Q1B)

Group 2 – West Indies, India, Pakistan, Australia, Group A Qualifier 1 (Q1A)