The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the dates of the T20 World Cup matches on Tuesday, which will be held in the United Arab Emirates and Oman from October 17 to November 14. As 8 teams will participate in the qualifying round of which 4 will reach the Super 12 stage, which will start from October 23. The long-awaited India-Pakistan match, will kick off on October 24 in Dubai. Both India and Pakistan are entered in Group Two of the Super 12 stage of the T20 World Cup, which also includes Afghanistan and New Zealand as other two automatic qualifiers. India plays a total of 4 matches in Dubai and one in Abu Dhabi. None of their Super 12 matches in Sharjah have been scheduled. Meanwhile, Super 12 of first group move begins with two heavyweight battles. South Africa and Australia kick off the Super 12 in Abu Dhabi, which will be followed by the repeat of 2016 T20 World Cup final between England and the West Indies in Dubai on 23 October.India's fixtures at T20 World CupIndia vs Pakistan - October 24 - 6 pm local time in Dubai India vs New Zealand - October 31 - 6 pm local time in Dubai India vs Afghanistan - November 3 - 6 pm local time in Abu Dhabi India vs B1 (qualifier) - November 5 - 6 pm local time in Dubai India vs A2 (qualifier) - November 8 - 6 pm local time in Dubai. Overview of teams for T20 World CupRound 1 (Top 2 teams from each group qualify for Super 12)Group A: Ireland, Netherlands, Sri Lanka and Namibia Group B: Oman, Papua New Guinea, Scotland Bangladesh Super 12 (Top 4 teams qualify for semi-final) Group 1: Australia, South Africa, England, West Indies, A 1, B2 Group 2: India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Afghanistan, A2, B1 The tournament will kick off with the Group B first round match between hosts Oman and Papua New Guinea at 2:00 p.m. local time on October 17, with Scotland and Bangladesh, the other teams from Group B match start in evening 6pm. Ireland, Netherlands, Sri Lanka and Namibia, which make up Group A, will play in Abu Dhabi the next day, with first-round matches continuing till October 22. The top two teams in each group will move to the Super12 stage of the tournament, starting on October 23. Top 4 teams from the Super 12 will make it to the semi-final. Reserve days for semi-finals and finalThe first semi-final will take place in Abu Dhabi on November 10 at 6pm local time. Dubai will host the second semi-final on November 11. Both semifinals have backup days. The finalThe final of the tournament will take place in Dubai at 6pm local time on November 14, Sunday, with Monday being the reservation day for the final.Also Read- KL Rahul becomes 10th Indian to hit Test hundred at Lords
A torrent of social media abuse was targeted at the only Muslim player in the Indian playing XI, Mohammed Shami, after his side were thrashed by arch rivals Pakistan at the T20 World Cup. Violence against Muslims in India was also reported after the emphatic 10-wicket win on Sunday, Pakistan first victory against India at any World Cup. Cricket clashes between India and Pakistan frequently heighten tensions between the neighbours, who have fought three wars since their independence in 1947. The 31-year-old Shami became the main target after the defeat in Dubai, even though India captain Virat Kohli admitted that his team had been "outplayed". Hundreds of messages were left on Shami's Instagram account saying he was a "traitor" and should be thrown out of the Indian team.Also Read- Virat Kohli becomes first India captain in 29 years to lose World Cup match vs Pakistan Former India batsman Virender Sehwag slammed online trolls for abusing fast bowler Mohammed Shami after India's defeat to Pakistan in the t20 WorldCup on Sunday. "The online attack on Mohammad Shami is shocking and we stand by him. He is a champion and Anyone who wears the India cap has India in their hearts far more than any online mob. With you Shami. Agle match mein dikado jalwa," said Sehwag in a tweet. The online attack on Mohammad Shami is shocking and we stand by him. He is a champion and Anyone who wears the India cap has India in their hearts far more than any online mob. With you Shami. Agle match mein dikado jalwa.— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) October 25, 2021Sehwag's fellow former India opener said that the online trolls are the ones who earlier used to burn players' effigies after a defeat. Online trolls are the ones who earlier used to burn effigies and throw paint-stones at player’s houses…with an online profile without a face worthy of a profile pic. — Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) October 25, 2021Former cricketer Irfan Pathan also spoke up in support of Shami. “Even I was part of #IndvsPak battles on the field where we have lost but never been told to go to Pakistan!” he tweeted.Even I was part of #IndvsPak battles on the field where we have lost but never been told to go to Pakistan! I’m talking about of few years back. THIS CRAP NEEDS TO STOP. #Shami— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) October 25, 2021Fans and politicians also urged support for him, calling on Indian players to reject the hate messages just as they had backed the Black Lives Matter movement by taking a knee. "Team India your BLM knee-taking counts for nothing if you can't stand up for your teammate who is being horribly abused and trolled on social media," Omar Abdullah, a former chief minister of Kashmir, said on Twitter. "Ignore the haters, most of India's grateful for your effort," said another supporter on Instagram. Gautam Gambhir, a former India Test cricketer who has become an MP for the Bharatiya Janata Party, said it was "shameful" that people were celebrating Pakistan's win. India was defeated by Pakistan in their first match of 2021 T20 World Cup. Shaheen Afridi was the pick of the bowlers for Pakistan, taking the three crucial wickets of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli. His efforts helped Pakistan restrict India to 151/7. Pakistan openers Mohammad Rizwan and captain Babar Azam made light work of the 152-run chase, getting to the target in the 18th over to break the World Cup jinx and register their first-ever 10-wicket win in a T20I match.Also Read- Manchester United owners show 'interest' in IPL franchise
Virat Kohli became the first Indian captain to lose a World Cup match against Pakistan in 29 years as his team went down by 10 wickets in their first opening game of the Super 12s in Group 2 in Dubai. Pakistan kicked off their T20 World Cup campaign with a resounding win over their arch-rivals, scoring 152 in 17.5 overs to register their first-ever 10-wicket win in the shortest format of international cricket. It was Pakistan's first-ever win by 10 wickets against any opposition in a T20, while India also confronted the ignominy of losing by such a margin for the first time. 152 is also Pakistan's highest opening stand against India in the format.This Pakistan team has a combined experience of 625 matches - making it the most experienced team ever to take the field in a T20 international. It is also one of the oldest Pakistani teams, with an average age of 30 + years. The match also saw Kohli get out for the first time in T20I against Pakistan after scoring 226 runs. Kohli's 57 team helped India reach 151 for 7 in 20 after being put in to bat first at the Dubai International Stadium. Virat Kohli scored 226 runs against Pakistan in the t20 WorldCup and was sent off just once. Kohli headed into the T20 World Cup having scored 169 runs in 3 innings without getting dismissed in the showpiece T20I events against their arch-rivals. It was another high-quality innings against one of his favorite opponents as the India captain led the way with the bat but the end result was not enough to stop Pakistan.Also Read- IPL 2022: Ranveer Singh And Deepika Padukone To Bid For Two New IPL Teams- Reports
Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik is at the end of his career, but his fan following hasn’t taken a dip by any means. On Sunday, October 24, he played his first game for Pakistan after almost 14 months and fans cheered for him. The veteran was a part of the marquee clash between India and Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in the T20 World Cup 2021. He didn’t get a chance to bat as Babar Azam and Muhammad Rizwan led Pakistan to 10 wickets win. Virat Kohli team asked the Men in Green to chase down 152 after which Babar and Rizwan made a mockery of the run-chase. Apart from cheering for Malik, the fans also poked fun at him. Malik got married to Indian tennis star Sania Mirza on April 12, 2010.Fans cheer for Shoaib MalikFor over a decade, Shoaib and Sania have given young couples plenty of couple goals. They also have a son, named Izhaan Mirza Malik, who was born in 2018. When Malik was fielding near the boundary, a few fans called him ‘jeeja ji’, which means brother-in-law. The cheers for Malik were loud and clear. A fan uploaded the video on Twitter on Monday. Mirza, who has won six Grand Slam titles in his illustrious career, reacted to the fan video. The 34-year-old posted a couple of ‘laughing’ emoticons followed by two ‘heart’ emotions. https://t.co/NE46xoSKfu— Sania Mirza (@MirzaSania) October 25, 2021Prior to that, he also played a few matches for Central Punjab in the National T20 Cup. In 117 T20Is for Pakistan, Malik has churned out 2335 runs at an average of 31.13 and a strike rate of 124.20. He has also picked 28 wickets in the format since his debut back in 2006. Malik doesn’t play Test and ODI cricket anymore.Also Read- T20 World Cup: Mohammed Shami faces vicious online abuse after India loss to Pakistan
