Tigers handed a tough draw

Bangla-desh were handed a tough draw in the ICC World Twenty20 2010 when they were placed in Group A alongside defending champions Pakistan and Australia, the International Cricket Council said. The ICC completed the draw at St Lucia in West Indies on Saturday.
Bangladesh, seeded eighth for the tournament, will begin their campaign against holders Pakistan on May 1. Australia, seeded ninth after their first-round exit in England, are lined up against the Tigers for their next match on May 4 in Barbados.
Sri Lanka, runners-up in 2009, have been placed in Group B with New Zealand and Zimbabwe, who will make a comeback in the showpiece event having been withdrawn from the England edition due to visa complications.
India and South Africa will play in Group C with the first qualifier while hosts West Indies and England will play in Group D with the other qualifier.
The ICC also confirmed the selection of four venues for the April 30-May 16 event – St Lucia, Guyana, Barbados and St Kitts. Barbados’ Kensington Oval will also stage the final on May 16.
Hosts West Indies will kick-start the event against one of two qualifiers in Guyana on April 30, part of a double-header that will also feature this year’s losing finalists Sri Lanka and New Zealand.
Tickets are set to go on sale in the Caribbean market on November 1 2009, with sales to the rest of the world commencing two weeks later, on November 15.
The highest-priced ticket for all men’s first round and Super Eights matches is just $15. The top-priced ticket for final is only $40. The tickets have been priced to ensure the venues are as full as possible for all 42 matches.
The decision to stage two ICC World Twenty20 events in the West Indies in successive years was taken by the ICC Board in October 2008 to ensure a better mix of tournaments over the coming years.
With the ICC Champions Trophy, postponed from last year and now taking place in September-October this year, and the ICC Cricket World Cup, another 50-over event set for 2011, the Board decided it made sense to programme an event of a different format as its major global event in 2010.
This approach also avoids staging the ICC Champions Trophy and the ICC Cricket World Cup close together, as happened in 2002-03 and 2006-07, said the ICC.

Courtesy of NewAgebd