Cape Town: Archrivals India and Pakistan have been drawn together in Group A alongside reigning champions Australia for next year’s ICC Men’s ODI World Cup, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on its social media accounts on Thursday.
The group distribution for the 14-team marquee tournament was officially revealed during a gala schedule launch event at Cape Town’s Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA).
Group A features a heavyweight lineup comprising India, Pakistan, Australia, Afghanistan, co-hosts Zimbabwe, and the team that emerges as Qualifier A. Group B, meanwhile, consists of co-hosts South Africa, England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Qualifier B.
The inclusion of India and Pakistan in the same pool ensures a high-stakes group stage clash between the two neighbouring nations. India are the top-ranked ODI team at the moment, with Shubman Gill set to captain the side in the mega event for the first time.
The 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup will kick off on October 2, with the final scheduled for November 21. It also marks the return of the marquee 50-over tournament to African soil after a 24-year hiatus.
The tournament will be hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, with 57 matches in the 14-team competition to be played across 12 venues. Africa last hosted the flagship tournament in 2003, when South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Kenya served as co-hosts for the eighth edition of the event.
Ten teams have already secured direct qualification based on their ICC rankings and status, including hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe, alongside India, defending champions Australia, England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan.
South Africa will host the bulk of the tournament across eight grounds: Wanderers Stadium (Johannesburg), Centurion (Tshwane), Newlands (Cape Town), Kingsmead (Durban), St George’s Park (Gqeberha), Mangaung Oval (Bloemfontein), Boland Park (Paarl), and Buffalo Park (KuGompo City, formerly East London).
Zimbabwe will host fixtures at Harare Sports Club (Harare), Queens Sports Club (Bulawayo), and the newly developed Fale Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium in Victoria Falls. Namibia will host its World Cup games at the newly built Namibia Cricket Ground in Windhoek.
The 2027 edition will introduce a modified four-stage structure to determine the world champion. The tournament will begin with a pre-tournament qualifier ‘Super Series’ featuring the teams ranked 12th, 13th, and 14th to determine the final qualifying spot for the main competition.
The successful qualifier will then join the top 11 ranked teams in two groups of six for the group stage. The top three teams from each group, along with the next best-ranked team overall, will progress to a seven-team ‘Super 7’ round-robin phase. The top four teams from the Super 7 stage will ultimately advance to the semifinals, with the winners from the semifinals meeting in the title clash.
(IANS)
