Fans' guide to the T20 World Cup's Super 12s stage

Welcome to the Super 12s!

The tournament has already been running for a week with the first round split between Hobart and Geelong, but things step up a level from tonight with the start of the Super 12 stage, with Australia and New Zealand to meet in Sydney from 6pm AEDT in a rematch of last year's final in the UAE.

Following that game, England start their campaign against Afghanistan with a late game in Perth, from 10pm AEDT.

What have I missed so far?

Let's quickly catch you up on the first round: Sri Lanka, the Netherlands, Zimbabwe and Ireland are the four teams through to the Super 12s

That means the tournament is already over for Scotland and Namibia, who made the Super 12 stage a year ago, the UAE and, in a major upset, the two-time defending champion West Indies side.

The Windies were fielding a side missing names like Gayle, Russell, Bravo and Pollard but their meek exit prompted Cricket West Indies president Ricky Skerritt to launch a scathing attack through the media, citing a "sense of utter frustration" and promising a "thorough postmortem".

"The ongoing inability of our batsmen to prevail over opposing slow bowling continued to be an obvious weakness in Australia, and untimely shot selections seem to be deeply embedded in the T20 batting culture of our senior team," Skerrit wrote.

It went to the final day for both groups in the first round. Sri Lanka, fresh off an Asia Cup crown, lost their first game but recovered to seal top spot in Group A, while Netherlands snuck through after Namibia lost their final clash to the UAE.

Ireland's nine-wicket win that sealed the Windies fate in Group B saw them make it past the first round of the tournament for the first time since 2009, while Zimbabwe make the Super 12s for the first time ever on the back of Sikandar Raza's big hitting and topped Group B.

The wash-up means Sri Lanka and Ireland go into Group 1 of the Super 12s along with Australia, England, New Zealand and Afghanistan.

Zimbabwe and the Dutch team go into Group 2 along with India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and South Africa.

Explain the Super 12s for me

The eight teams who automatically qualified for the Super 12s – England, Australia, South Africa, India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Bangladesh and Afghanistan – did so as one of the top-eight ranked teams from last year's tournament.

Those eight teams were then split into two groups based on their ranking in March this year.

Each team will play the others in their group once, and the top two teams from each group will progress to the semi-finals.

Group 1: Afghanistan, Australia, England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka,Ireland

Group 2: Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Netherlands

The finals

The semi-finals will be played on November 9 and 10, in Sydney and Adelaide respectively. Should Australia reach the final four, they will play in in the November 9 semi-final in Sydney, regardless of whether they finish first or second in their group.

If Australia don't make the final four, the first semi-final in Sydney will be Group 1 winner v Group 2 runner-up, and Group 2 winner v Group 1 runner-up in Adelaide.

The final will be played at the MCG on Sunday November 13

All matches start at 7pm AEDT.

Click here for the full tournament schedule

How can I watch?

Foxtel and Kayo Sports are the only place you can watch every single match of the T20 World Cup.

This tournament also has a free-to-air broadcaster for Australia, with cricket returning to the Nine Network, who continue to hold rights for ICC events.

Nine will broadcast 14 matches during the tournament, including every Australian game and the finals on either their main channel or 9Gem, and on their streaming platform 9Now.

Foxtel and Kayo will broadcast every one of the tournament's 45 matches, as well as four warm-up fixtures featuring Super 12 teams being played at the Gabba next week, including Australia's clash with India on Monday.

Kayo offers a 7-day free trial to all new subscribers. You can sign up for that here.

What games are on free-to-air?

October 22: Australia v New Zealand and England v Afghanistan, from 6pm AEDT

October 23: India v Pakistan, 7pm AEDT

October 25: Australia v Group A winner, 10pm AEDT

October 26: New Zealand v Afghanistan, 7pm AEDT

October 28: Australia v England, 7pm AEDT

October 30: India v South Africa, 10pm AEDT

October 31: Australia v Group B runner-up, 7pm AEDT

November 1: England v New Zealand, 7pm AEDT

November 4: Australia v Afghanistan, 7pm AEDT

November 6: India v Group B winner, 7pm AEDT

November 9: Semi-final 1, 7pm AEDT

November 10: Semi-final 2, 7pm AEDT

November 13: Final, 7pm AEDT

Matches will be broadcast across a combination of Channel 9 and 9Gem, as well as shown on 9Now. Check local guides for more detail.

Can I listen?

The ABC amd SEN will both be providing radio coverage of all 45 games from the first round through to the final.

Can I still get tickets?

Australia's opening match against New Zealand at the SCG is a sell-out, and India's blockbuster clash with Pakistan at the MCG unsurprisingly sold out within minutes, so unless you already have a ticket for those games, it will be watching on TV for you.

Otherwise, there are tickets available, but many matches, particularly games featuring Australia or India, only have limited availability remaining.

Ticket prices vary across venues, but kids can get in for as little as $5, while adult tickets for Aussie games start at $30, but are as low as $20 for some non-Australia matches. The cheapest tickets remaining for the final start at $175 for adults up to $395 (plus booking fees).

The Women's T20 World Cup final at the MCG in March 2020 had 86,174 people turn out to see Meg Lanning's Aussie women dance away with the trophy before a Katy Perry concert, while the 2015 ODI World Cup final at the MCG had 93,013 fans turn up to see an Aussie triumph.

Get your tickets here

Any late squad changes? 

Spare a thought for poor Josh Inglis. Seemingly Australia's T20 wicketkeeper-batter in waiting behind Matthew Wade, a day-off trip to the golf course has ended his World Cup dream. The shaft of his six-iron snapped in his hand, giving him a nasty cut. Thankfully he was spared any tendon damage, so he should be fine for the Perth Scorchers KFC BBL campaign, but Australia have been replaced him with Cameron Green in their 15-player squad for the tournament. 

It means the Aussies have no genuine back-up 'keeper in the squad so Wade will be kept in cotton wool during the warm-ups each match but, if the worst strikes, David Warner looks likely to take the gloves in game. 

Elsewhere, England have had to replace Reece Topley after he tripped over a boundary rope and rolled his ankle in a training drill, with Tymal Mills coming in.

Sri Lanka have been forced into a trio of replacements in their squad before they even escaped from the first round, India saw Jasprit Bumrah ruled out ahead of the tournament with a back injury.

While it has not yet resulted in a squad change, England's Chris Woakes is under an injury cloud ahead of their Super 12 opener against Afghanistan tonight, and Pakistan's key No.3 batter Shan Masood was taken to hospital after a blow to the head at training at the MCG on Friday.

Who are the Aussies to watch?

Plenty of eyes will be on Aussie big hitter Tim David who has forced his way into this tournament on the back of breathtaking death-overs hitting in domestic leagues around the world. He's got international experience playing for Singapore and has played a handful of matches for Australia in the lead-up to this tournament, and now looks set to keep Steve Smith out of the starting XI.

Australia captain Aaron Finch is another to keep an eye on, with the enormous pressure and scrutiny that comes with a home World Cup piling on top of his already patchy form coming into this tournament. Finch has recently retired from ODI cricket.

Glenn Maxwell has so endured an unprecedented run of seven single-digit scores in T20 internationals, but the Aussies have stressed repeatedly they are building to peak at the back end of the World Cup, not the start.

How best to use Steve Smith is sure to be a debate that will rage throughout this tournament. Undeniably one of the best of the world in the longer formats, he looks an option to be squeezed out of the starting XI with Mitch Marsh secure at No.3 and a middle order of Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis and David.

Matthew Wade will be making his international swansong at this tournament, having already flagged it will be his last matches for Australia.

From the pace bowlers, Josh Hazlewood has gone from strength to strength as a T20 weapon over the past 12-18 months and will be keen to show Aussie crowds how potent he can be in the shortest format, while Mitchell Starc showed he might be entering a new phase of his career when he did not take the new ball in a match against England.

In the spin stocks, Adam Zampa will again be out to defy critics and underline his value to Australia's T20 side, and Ashton Agar is looking for an opportunity to force his way back into the team having been sidelined at last year's T20 World Cup.

Australia squad: Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa.

For all the T20 World Cup squads, click here

What are the Aussies wearing?

Keen kit watchers will remember Australia wore two separate strips at last year's event – the first time they had been mandated by the ICC to produce an alternate clash strip. This tournament will also produce another first with Australia wearing an Indigenous themed strip at a global event for the first time.

With black sleeves and a green and gold gradient on the trunk of the playing top, artwork flows around the shirt, while a cap features the colours of both the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags on the brim.

You can purchase a replica kit via the Official Cricket Shop.

Image Id: 2D2D5610785244FE9B994840E5BB06BF Image Caption: Australia's Indigenous-themed T20 World Cup // AFP

Any other elite kits to look out for?

You bet. Zimbabwe's striking yellow top and red trousers has won hearts in the cricket.com.au team, while Sri Lanka have gone with a climate-change themed top that "incorporates design elements highlighting deforestation and melting glaciers to raise awareness about the climate change affecting the world". India have refreshed their kit with a return to a light blue shade, while New Zealand have gone with a retro-inspired look with grey and black and red stars from their flag.

Image Id: 49EA7D644C1F43AAADCD4D2AAD38E469 Image Caption: Clive Madande models Zimbabwe's T20 World Cup kit // Getty Image Id: 0D1D071CD6BE4889A652EB71FBFB8DFF Image Caption: Strong retro vibes from the Black Caps here // NZC

Who are the favourites to win it?

Australia are the defending champions, but sit just sixth on the ICC's official team rankings. A home World Cup makes the Aussies heavy favourites, but unlike the 50-over version which has been won by the host nation at the past three events, no host nation has ever won the T20 World Cup.

England showed they are intent on holding both white-ball World Cups, showing off their serious batting firepower with a 2-0 series win against the Aussies, and with Jos Buttler and Alex Hales firing, the destructive Ben Stokes batting high in the order and Mark Wood and Chris Woakes in great form, they are a serious threat.

India sit atop the world rankings, but lost a warm-up against a Western Australia XI this week. Jasprit Bumrah's back injury is a major blow, but Mohammed Shami is an excellent death overs bowler. Virat Kohli has been showing signs he's coming back to his best while they boast fearsome hitters with the likes of Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya as well as skipper Rohit Sharma.

Pakistan have been boosted by the late inclusion of speedster Shaheen Shah Afridi, but so much rests on their batters Babar Azam and Mohammed Rizwan, while Harris Rauf will be familiar with conditions given his Big Bash experience. A mercurial team, it's never wise to write them off.

And given the fickle nature of the 20-over game, where a team's fortunes can change in the space of a single over, it's impossible to say with any certainty who will be lifting the trophy on November 13.

What if it rains?

It's been a bit wet about parts of Australia recently, but fingers crossed that won't affect the T20 World Cup, although it seems somewhat inevitable that climate will play a part with a third successive summer of the La Niña weather phenomenon affecting the east coast.

The forecast for tonight's Super 12s opener isn't looking particularly great for getting in a full game, but the good news is the forecast has improved a little for Melbourne on Sunday night for the blockbuster India-Pakistan clash.

If, or when, it does rain, it's important to note that reserve days have been scheduled for both semi-finals and the final, but no other matches will have a reserve day.

The minimum number of overs required to constitute a match in T20 cricket is just five overs per side, and the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern calculation will be used in the event of any rain delays.

Show me the money?

There is a US$5.6 million pot to be carved up for this tournament (that's A$9 million), with all 16 teams to receive something.

The tournament winners will get a hefty US$1.6m (A$2.5m) prize for lifting the trophy. The beaten finalists will get half of that.

The two teams to lose in the semi-finals will each receive US$400,000 (A$645,000).

Teams will receive US$40,000 for each win in both the first round and Super 12 stages. The four teams that exit in the first round will receive a further US$40,000, while there will be US$70,000 for the eight Super 12 teams that don't make the semi-finals.

Anything else to know?

The ICC introduced new playing conditions on October 1, the most notable of which has been the move to legitimise the so-called 'Mankad' dismissal by including it in the 'run out' section of the laws of the game. The issue hit the spotlight again recently when India's women utilised the dismissal to defeat England, and Mitch Starc halted play to warn Jos Buttler in Canberra on Friday night.

Teams failing to bowl their overs in their allotted time will see an in-match fielding penalty apply, with an extra fielder to come inside the ring for any overs remaining after the scheduled innings time has passed.

And batters are now longer able to cross when a catch is taken, with the new batter coming in at the end the dismissed batter was at.

And just in case you forgot, the boundary countback rule was done away with back in late 2019 after that clause saw England awarded their first ODI World Cup that year.