ICC announces the Grouping and the venue to be used for ICC World twenty20 2010

ICC announces the Grouping and the venue to be used for ICC World twenty20 2010. Twenty20 World champions Pakistan is grouped with Australia and Bangladesh in Group A. Pakistan will start their title defense with the game against Bangladesh on May 1^st 2010.

The tournament will be staged at four venues – Barbados, Guyana, St Kitts and St Lucia. The tournament will feature 27 numbers of matches in total. The tournament will run for 17 days, starting from April 30^th to May 16. Semi Final of World twenty20 2009 will be played on 13^th and 14^th of May 2010 while Final will be played on May 16^th at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.

Twenty20 World cup 2010 will start with the game against West Indies will take on Ireland (Associates team2) and on the same day New Zealand and Sri Lanka at Providence Stadium, Guyana.

2009 world twenty20 runners-up Sri Lanka is with New Zealand and Zimbabwe in Group B. While inaugural World twenty20 winners India is kept in Group C with South Africa and Afghanistan (Associates team1) world qualifiers winner of 2010. The hosts, West Indies, are with England and Ireland in Group D.

Total 12 teams Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, West Indies, Australia, India, England, Bangladesh, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan (Assoicates1) and Ireland (Associates2) will participate in 2010 twenty20 cup.

The ICC has also announced top two ranked teams in each group and given them a number 1 and 2 respectively. They will retain this number irrespective of whether they finish first or second in the group.

For example if Australia top ranked Group A and Pakistan finished second in the same group; Pakistan will still remain as A1 and Australia will remain as A2 in Super Eights stages. If Bangladesh knockout Australia in Group A then Bangladesh will become A2.

Group A – Pakistan (A1), Australia (A2) and Bangladesh
Group B – Sri Lanka (B1), New Zealand (B2) and Zimbabwe
Group C – South Africa (C1), India (C2) and Afghanistan
Group D – West Indies (D1), England (D2) and Ireland

Super Eight Groups

Group E –A1, B2, C1 and D2
Group F –A2, B1, C2, and D1