ICC T20 World Cup 2020: A look at fixtures and key matches

International Cricket Council on January 29 unveiled fixtures for the  ICC T20 World Cups.

Australia will play host host to the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2020 and  ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2020 next year.  While, the women's tournament will be held from February 21 to March 8 in 2020, men's tournament is scheduled from October 18 to November 15.

The iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) will host the finals of both the men's and women's T20 editions.

Women's Tournament 

The women's side of tournament will see ten teams participate in 23 matches. Eight teams have got automatic qualification and they will be joined by two other qualifying teams to round up the numbers. The teams have been divided into two groups.

The eight top women's teams, according to their finishing positions at the World T20 2018 in the West Indies, have gained automatic qualification to the tournament, with the remaining two teams to be determined through a qualifying tournament to be held later in 2019.

The opening match of the tournament will see host and defending champion Australia take on India.

Men's Tournament

In men's side, 16 teams will play across 45 matches. The eight top-ranked teams as of 31 December 2018 have automatically qualified for the Super 12. The remaining four teams will be determined through the first qualifying round played in Geelong and Hobart leading up to the Super 12 stage.

It is worthy to note that Afghanistan- a relatively new nation to international cricket-has got direct entry. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh-having finished ninth and tenth respectively in the rankings- will have to play the qualifiers. The remaining six teams will be determined by another qualifying tournament to be held this year.Here are few facts about the 2020 edition of the T20 World Cups

1. This would be the first occasion when the women's and men's T20 World Cups will be held as standalone events in the same year and in the same country.
2. The men's tournament  will be held in eight host cities across 13 venues.
3. India and Pakistan have been drawn in opposite groups for both the tournaments.
4. England and Australia have also been drawn in separate groups for  both the tournaments.
5. With MCG hosting the women's final, the match will stand a chance to set a new world record for attendance at a women's sporting fixture, the current highest being 90,185 at the women's football World Cup final between Chile and the USA in 1999.
6. ICC’s global Broadcast Partner, Star Sports and its licensees will provide live and highlights coverage for both the events across the world.