The stage is set and the players in place. The United States is ready to host and play its maiden T20 Cricket World Cup.
U.S. will be facing Canada, also making its debut in T20 international cricket, in the opening match of the tournament at the Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium in Dallas on Saturday.
The ninth edition of the T20 World Cup sees 20 teams arrive in the U.S. and West Indies to compete in 55 matches for the coveted trophy. England enters the year as defending champions, having beaten Pakistan in the 2022 T20 World Cup final in Melbourne, Australia.
Here’s everything you need to know about the opening match of the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, including players and how to watch the match.
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The 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will kick off at the Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium in Dallas with an opening ceremony 10 minutes prior to the opening ball and right after the toss, an ICC spokesperson told USA TODAY. However, details of the ceremony and performances have been kept under wraps.
The opening match of the tournament is scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m. local time / 9:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 1, which means that the opening ceremony will likely take place around 8:20 p.m. local time / 9:20 p.m. ET.
The game is scheduled to begin at 9:30 p.m. ET / 8:30 p.m. local time on Saturday, June 1 and will air exclusively on WillowTV, as per ICC. You can access WillowTV via streamers like Fubo and Sling.
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Fans can also stream the game across devices on the Cricbuzz app, while the live score will be available to view on the Cricbuzz website.
Scorecards, match highlights and behind-the-scenes footage will also be available for fans to view on ICC.tv. Live radio commentary will be available from BBC on the ICC website and app.
A T20 World Cup match lasts for approximately 3 hours and 20 minutes, on average, as per the ICC, including both innings and the innings break.
The opening match of the tournament will also be screened live at the T20 World Cup Fan Park at the Oculus World Trade Center in New York and at the Epic Central in Grand Prairie, Texas.
“The parks will see live entertainment including DJs, as well as food and drink outlets, cricket ambassadors and family activities, making it an experience not to be missed for fans across the globe,” ICC says about the fan parks.
The U.S. squad, led by Captain Monank Patel, includes:
Reserve players include:
Led by Saad Bin Zafar, Canada’s squad, includes:
Reserve players include:
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X @saman_shafiq7.
