England to launch World Twenty20

The second ICC World Twenty20 will begin on June 5 next year at Lord's when England take on one of the Associate qualifiers

Cricinfo staff

24-Jun-2008

The first ICC World Twenty20 drew impressive crowds in South Africa © AFP

The second ICC World Twenty20 will begin on June 5 next year at Lord's when England take on one of the Associate qualifiers. The ICC and ECB have taken a lead from South Africa, who hosted the inaugural event last year, and tried to make the event as accessible as possible with attractive ticket prices.

The tournament will be staged at Lord's, The Oval and Trent Bridge while the first women's World Twenty20 will run alongside the men's event at Taunton. There will be 14 double-headers with two matches in a day, where tickets will be valid for both games and they will go on sale from June 30 with the following pricing structure.

Adult tickets for the final start at £50 and group matches can be watched from £30 in London and £20 at Trent Bridge

Under-16 ticket prices in the family stands at Lord's and The Oval, including all group, Super Eight and semi-final and final match days will be £10

An under-16 ticket in the family stand at Trent Bridge for all group, Super Eight and semi-final stage match days will cost £8

Group matches for the women's event at Taunton will be £6 for adults, £1 for under-16s and free entry for Somerset members and school and youth groups

Both semi-finals - at Trent Bridge on June 18 and The Oval on June 19 - and the final, at Lord's on June 21, will feature double-headers with women's and men's matches.

"We believe these ticket prices represent great value for money - especially with the double header format," said ICC president David Morgan. "They give people the chance to watch a top-class men's and women's international event and most importantly of all the prices for under-16s have been set as low as possible.

"It is all part of our desire to ensure this event truly is the people's game. We want it to be fan-focused, accessible to as many people as possible and to excite the next generation of players and supporters in the host country by giving them a chance to get close to their heroes.

"There will be huge amounts of excitement and enjoyment in fan and family-friendly environments - this is in keeping with the last event in South Africa in 2007 and we want a repeat of that success here in the UK."

India are the defending champions following their five-run victory in Johannesburg last September.

England ICC World Twenty20