Pakistan and India will be placed in the same group for next year's T20 World Cup scheduled in West Indies and the USA from June 4-30.
As per The Telegraph, another arch-rivals England and Australia will also be put in one group. Barbados is considered the strong favourite to host the game.
Both teams faced each other at the same venue in the 2010 T20 World Cup final where England pipped Australia to win their maiden World Cup.
At every men’s ICC global event since 2013, India and Pakistan have consistently been paired together, ensuring that the sport's most highly anticipated match takes place. There has long been a wish for these teams to play group games in the United States to engage the interest of the South Asian diaspora. India is scheduled to face Pakistan at New York's Eisenhower Park, situated 30 miles east of Manhattan.
In contrast to other major sports, cricket doesn't conduct a live televised draw. Instead, the groups are formed based on various factors, with the priority being the India-Pakistan match, while striving for equilibrium among the different pools. Once the decision was made for India and Pakistan to meet in the US, it became crucial to arrange other prestigious matches in the tournament in the West Indies.
England to play in the West Indies only
As per the publication, the defending champions will play all their matches in both the group and Super Eight stages in the West Indies.
However, 10 out of the 20 competing nations will have fixtures in the United States, marking the first time the country hosts World Cup matches.
Barbados consistently ranks among the favourite destinations for England’s travelling supporters. Besides Barbados, England is scheduled to play in Antigua and St Lucia.
The tournament will consist of 20 nations divided into four groups of five each. The top two teams from each group will progress to the Super Eight stage, which comprises two groups of four. The top two from both Super Eight pools will advance to the semi-finals. The schedule for the matches will be confirmed later this week.
Three venues in the US have already been confirmed for the tournament: Grand Prairie in Dallas, Broward County in Florida, and Nassau County in New York, home to Eisenhower Park. In the West Indies, matches will be hosted in six countries: Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, and Trinidad & Tobago.
Teams will be paired for the Super Eight stage based on their pre-tournament seedings rather than their performance in the initial stage. For example, if England, ranked second, finishes second in the first group stage, they will still qualify for the same Super Eight group as determined by their seeding.
This approach is aimed at enabling travelling fans to plan ahead, ensuring that their teams' matches remain in the same country irrespective of their first or second-place finish in the initial group stage.