The schedule for the ninth T20 World Cup was released on January 5, 2024, over six months before the competition started. The short turnaround between the semifinals and the championship, however, has sparked worries due to the tournament’s schedule in the US and the Caribbean.
The final is scheduled for June 29. The two semifinals are scheduled for June 26 in Trinidad and June 27 in Guyana. However, there is a catch: the club that advances to the second semi-final may have to play crucial knockout games back-to-back, with the crucial final game starting less than a day apart from the first game’s conclusion.
The International Cricket Council and Cricket West Indies have set aside reserve days, notwithstanding the argument that such a scenario is improbable in June, the Caribbean season. Thus, the likelihood of an extraordinary event is diminished.
Aside from timing, logistical impediments are a major worry. It would be necessary for the semi-final winner to travel more than 700 kilometers from Providence Stadium in Guyana to Kensington Oval in Barbados.
The ICC did verify the provision of reserve days:
Above all, the scenario can get worse if India plays in the championship match. If they advance from Group A and the Super-8, India may need to play the semi-final on June 27.
A March 15 press statement obtained by Cricbuzz claims that the ICC confirmed that reserve days were provided for the final three games of the 55-match competition.
“It was also confirmed during the meetings that the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 would have reserve days scheduled for the semi-finals and final,” the ICC announced via a media release following a board meeting.
If such situations materialize, the ICC might have to move the final to its reserve days on June 30 for obvious reasons. The international governing body hasn’t yet provided a clear confirmation or explanation of this, though.
Never before have the second semi-final and the final been scheduled so precisely; the most recent instances are the 2023 Cricket World Cup and the 2022 and 2021 T20 World Cups, which all had one full day between the event’s reserve day (had it been used) and the championship match.
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