Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup kicks off with qualifiers in Oman

The Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup began in Oman on Sunday with qualifiers. The matches of the tournament are being played across four venues in the United Arab Emirates and Oman. In the opening match of group stage, co-hosts Oman defeated Papua New Guinea by 10 wickets at Al Amerat stadium in Muscat. Chasing the victory target of 130 runs, Oman overhauled the score in 13.4 overs with 38 balls to spare. Earlier, put into bat, Papua New Guinea posted 129 for 9 in stipulated 20 overs.
The Men’s T20 World Cup was earlier scheduled to be held in India but was shifted to the United Arab Emirates and Oman. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) remains the hosts of the event. The UAE will host the Super 12 stage and the knockout games at three venues in Dubai, Sharjah, and Abu Dhabi while Oman will host the Super 12 qualifier matches.
The top four teams from the qualifiers will join India, West Indies, Australia, South Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan, England and New Zealand for Super 12 stage which will begin from 23rd of this month. Before the start of Super 12s, the top eight teams, which are qualified for main event, will play two warm-up games each. India will play two warm-up games ahead of its titanic clash against arch-rivals Pakistan on October 24 in Dubai.