Adelaide Oval to host men’s World Twenty20 semi-final in 2020

ADELAIDE Oval has been rewarded for being the ‘best cricket ground in the world’ with a semi-final of the men’s World Twenty20 championship in 2020.

Australian and Adelaide Strikers Twenty20 stars Megan Schutt (left) and Travis Head welcome the news that Adelaide Oval will play host to World T20 cricket in 2020. Picture: Calum Robertson.

ADELAIDE Oval has been rewarded for being the “best cricket ground in the world’’ with a

semi-final of the men’s World Twenty20 championship in 2020.

Describing the announcement as “massive’’, SA Cricket Association chief executive Keith Bradshaw said being named to host a final of the prestigious tournament — to be held in Australia for the first time — was a reflection of the “iconic’’ nature of the famous ground.

And he predicted hosting men's and women's World T20 matches in two years will “inspire the next generation of young girls and boys in SA to pick up a cricket bat or ball’’.

“These tournaments are going to be huge and will enable us to not only showcase Adelaide Oval’s world-class facilities — it is the best cricket ground in the world — to Australia and the globe but also inspire a new generation of cricketers,’’ Bradshaw said.

The Oval will host a blue-chip semi-final of the men’s World T20 championship in November 2020, along with six Super 12 matches, including two double-headers.

Adelaide’s revamped Park 25 complex, to be officially opened in March and to be named Gladys Elphick Park, will host five teams for a week of preparation matches ahead of the women’s World T20, which will be staged eight months earlier, from February 21 to March 8.

Indian fans celebrate a Pakistan wicket during their 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup match at Adelaide Oval. Picture: Scott Barbour/Getty Images

It will be the first time the men's and women’s World T20 competitions have been held in the same year.

Sixteen men’s teams and 10 women’s teams will contest the stand-alone events, with the men’s championship to be held from October 18 to November 15.

The eight host cities are Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Geelong, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.

Australia’s biggest stadium, the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), will stage the final of both competitions.

The other men’s semi-final will be held at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) while both women’s semis will be in Sydney.

The full draw is yet to be released.

The first men’s World T20 was held in South Africa in 2007 and won by India.

Australia has yet to win any of the six tournaments it has contested.

SACA chief executive Keith Bradshaw in front of the new grandstand being built at Park 25, to be named Gladys Elphick Park, which will host practice games for the women’s T20 Cup. Picture Dean Martin

Australia has saluted in three of the five women's World T20 tournaments.

Tourism Minister Leon Bignell said hosting an international event like the ICC World T20 would give SA and Adelaide Oval another opportunity to shine on the global stage.

He said he expected the events to pump $50 million into the SA economy.

“The importance of being part of this event goes beyond cricket, with fans filling our hotels, bars and restaurants, and extending their stay to visit SA’s regions, adding to our already strong visitor economy,” he said.

“We saw a huge boost to our local economy when we hosted the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2015, with more than 70,000 interstate and international visitors spending $75 million while they were here.’’

[e-mail]