"How Much Money...": Iceland Cricket's Sly Dig At ICC Over IND PAK Clash

The Iceland Cricket social media account, renowned for its clever commentary on cricket affairs, cheekily took a jab at the International Cricket Council (ICC) when the T20 World Cup 2024 fixtures were released on Friday. The notorious rivals, India and Pakistan, once again find themselves grouped together, setting the stage for a hotly awaited showdown in New York on June 9. Given the history of intense rivalry and the fact that they do not engage in bilateral series, matches between these two nations always attract hefty attention. Highlighting the frequency with which India and Pakistan are grouped together, Iceland Cricket quipped on social media platform X (previously Twitter), "How much money does the ICC require not to put India and Pakistan in the same World Cup group?" Group A contenders for the league stage include India, Pakistan, Ireland, Canada, and co-hosts USA. India will play Ireland on June 5 in New York to kick off their World Cup. After their match against Pakistan, India will face the co-hosts on June 12, followed by their final group game against Canada in Florida on June 15. The T20 World Cup, the largest of its kind with 20 teams divided into four groups of five each, is jointly hosted by West Indies and USA. The tournament begins on June 1 with USA vs. Canada and concludes with the final in Barbados on June 29 while England, the reigning champions, won over Pakistan in Melbourne in November 2022. The group stage matches will run from June 1 to 18, followed by the Super 8 games from June 19 to 24. Two top teams from each group will make it to the Super 8, with two more teams from each Super 8 group advancing to the semifinals. (Includes PTI contributions).