ICC announces WT20 warm-up schedule

With just one-month to go before the start of the ICC World Twenty20 Sri Lanka 2012, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the schedule of men’s and women’s warm-up matches which will be played in the lead up to the event proper.

The fourth edition of the event, the first to take place in the subcontinent, will be staged from 18 September to 7 October. The event begins for the men on 18 September and 26 September for the women. The men’s competition will be staged in Colombo, Hambantota and Pallekelle while the women’s group stage will be played in Galle.

However, Colombo alone will host the warm-up matches for both the men and women. The men’s warm-up matches will be played from 13 to 17 September and women’s matches on 22 and 23 September.

Host Sri Lanka will play warm-up matches against the West Indies and India at NCC ground and P. Sara Oval on 13 and 15 September, respectively while defending champion England’s warm-up matches are against Australia and Pakistan at the NCC Ground and P. Sara Oval on 17 and 19 September, respectively.

In the feature warm-up match, Asian rivals and former champions India and Pakistan will go head to head at R. Premadasa Stadium on Monday, 17 September. This match will start at 1400 (Colombo time) and will be the only warm-up game which will be covered live by ICC’s broadcast partner ESPN STAR Sports.

Meanwhile, the ICC has also announced the schedule of the pre-event activities which will allow the foreign media to lock in their travel arrangements.

Sri Lanka’s captain will kick-off the pre-event activities by holding his media conference in Colombo on 10 September. The Sri Lanka side, along with the Ireland side, will hold its open media session on 11 September. In the open media sessions, every team is expected to make three players available for interviews.

On 14 September, the ICC is staging an ICC Hall of Fame cocktail reception in which ICC President Alan Isaac and Chief Executive David Richardson will announce the inductees and will also release the ICC ODI Team of the Year.

Then on 15 September, cricket’s Oscars, the LG ICC Awards, will be staged at Waters Edge in Colombo.

The following is the schedule of warm up matches in the lead up to the ICC World Twenty20 Sri Lanka 2012.