ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 warm-up matches schedule announced: India to play West Indies and South Africa

NEW DELHI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Tuesday that India will face West Indies and South Africa in warm-up matches as part of their preparation for the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. All 10 teams that have qualified for the 2024 tournament will each play two practice games.These warm-up matches, set to take place from September 28 to October 1, will be 20 overs per side but will not carry official international T20 status. This allows the teams to field all 15 members of their squad. Teams from the same tournament group will not compete against each other in these warm-up rounds. Group A of the Women’s T20 World Cup includes defending champions Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Group B features England, South Africa, West Indies, Scotland, and Bangladesh.The practice games will commence on September 28 with Pakistan playing against Scotland and Sri Lanka facing off against Bangladesh. The following day, Australia will play against arch-rivals England, and India will take on the 2016 champions West Indies.The previous T20 World Cup saw Australia defeat South Africa by 19 runs in the final, securing their sixth title. India reached the semi-finals but were defeated by Australia by five runs.Warm-up fixture schedule:The venue shift from Bangladesh to the UAE prompted the ICC to announce revamped fixtures for the tournament, which will be held in Dubai and Sharjah. Despite the change in location, the groups remain the same. Sri Lanka and Scotland secured their tournament spots via the ICC Women's T20 World Cup Qualifier held in Abu Dhabi earlier this year. Each team will play four group matches, and the top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals scheduled for October 17 and 18. The final will be held in Dubai on October 20, with reserve days set aside for both the semi-finals and the final.The ICC emphasizes that the warm-up fixtures are essential for teams to get acclimatized and to finalize their best combinations ahead of the main tournament.