by Philip Spooner
West Indies will have a massive contest against the hosts and defending champions India as the two teams have secured qualification to the Super 8s stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
The mega-clash is set for March 1 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata and will be the third of three matches for both teams in the second phase.
West Indies booked their spot with easy wins over Scotland, England and Nepal in Group C. India have been equally impressive and topped Group A. They booked their spot in the Super 8s after victory over arch-rivals Pakistan in one of the most watched matches in history on Sunday night.
The Super 8 group is looking like a ‘group of death’ with Windies and India joined by South Africa, who lead Group D. The fourth team are Zimbabwe, which secured qualification after their match against Ireland was washed out yesterday afternoon.
This meant Australia missed out on reaching the second round for the first time in the 20-year history of the tournament.
The ICC confirmed the match-ups for the Super 8s, with Windies locked in for three massive contests. They will face the Zimbabweans at the Wankhede in Mumbai, a venue where the Windies have never lost a T20 World Cup match. This contest is on Monday, February 23 at 7 p.m. (9:30 a.m. Barbados Time).
This will be followed by the clash with Proteas on Thursday, February 26 in Ahmedabad at the Narendra Modi Stadium, which seats 130 000 spectators at 3 p.m. (5:30 a.m. Barbados Time). The final Super 8s assignment will see the Windies return to Kolkata for the mega-showdown against hosts at Eden Gardens on Sunday, March 1 at 7 p.m. (9:30 a.m. Barbados Time). (PRS)
