New Zealand lost the T20 World Cup 2021 final last year – in Dubai, to trans-Tasman rivals, Australia, as Mitchell Marsh’s 77* off 50 balls helped Australia chase down 173 with relative ease. This was the second consecutive ICC limited-overs tournament final that they lost, after the heartbreak at Lord’s in 2019 vs England.
Australia had also defeated the Kiwis in the 2015 ODI World Cup final, at the MCG, where this year’s final will also be held. Should New Zealand make it there again, they’d be hoping that they don’t face Australia again.
Since last year’s T20 World Cup, the Black Caps haven’t been tested by strong T20I opponents: they lost to India (3-0) and then white-washed Ireland, Scotland and Netherlands before recently defeating West Indies (2-1).
Before the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia, New Zealand will host Pakistan and Bangladesh in a tri-series, which will give them a better idea of the form of their players.
New Zealand squad for the T20 World Cup 2022:
Not announced yet.
At the T20 World Cup, every team that has already qualified for the Super 12 round will play warm-up matches.
New Zealand will play two warm-up matches: vs South Africa on October 17 and vs India on October 19.
For the Super 12 round, New Zealand are drafted in Group 1 along with Australia, England, Afghanistan and two teams who will qualify from the preliminary round.
Complete Schedule of New Zealand team for the T20 World Cup 2022:
- October 22 – New Zealand vs Australia; Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney – 12:30 PM IST
- October 26 – New Zealand vs Afghanistan; Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne – 1:30 PM IST
- October 29 – New Zealand vs A1 (winners of Group A); Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney – 1:30 PM IST
- November 1 – New Zealand vs England; The Gabba, Brisbane – 1:30 PM IST
- November 4 – New Zealand vs B2 (runners-up of Group B); Adelaide Oval, Adelaide – 9:30 AM IST
Format of the T20 World Cup 2022:
Before the Super 12 round, the tournament will start on October 16 with the preliminary qualifying round, which also includes two-time champions West Indies, and another former champion and the recently crowned Asia Cup winner, Sri Lanka.
In the preliminary round, 8 teams will compete in two groups of 4 each. Four teams – top two from each group – will proceed to the Super 12, joining the other 8 teams who have already qualified.
In Super 12, the teams are divided into two groups of 6 each, with the top two from each group making it to the semi-final. The final will be played at the MCG on November 13.
Preliminary Qualifier Groups:
Group A: Namibia, Netherlands, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates
Group B: Ireland, Scotland, West Indies, Zimbabwe
Super 12 groups:
Group 1: Australia, New Zealand, England, Afghanistan, A1, B2
Group 2: India, Pakistan, South Africa, Bangladesh, B1, A2
