Joel Morrison. Photo: supplied Dunedin shapes as an unlikely destination for the men’s 2028 T20 World Cup. The ICC has started the venue selection process. The tournament, which is being jointly hosted in Australia and New Zealand, will feature up to 10 venues. You can ink in games for the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the Sydney Cricket Ground, the Adelaide Oval, the Gabba (Brisbane) and Optus Stadium in Perth. They are well-established venues in centres with a big population. Bellerive Oval, in Hobart, and Canberra’s Manuka Oval were assigned games when Australia and New Zealand jointly hosted the 2015 ODI World Cup. If they were both assigned matches, that would leave the New Zealand venues fighting over a maximum of three spots. Dunedin’s University Oval hosted three ODI World Cup games in 2015. But its limited capacity — 6000 with temporary seating — and lack of lights is likely to rule it out. The same is true for Saxton Oval, which also hosted World Cup games in 2015. Eden Park (Auckland), Hagley Oval (Christchurch), Hnry Stadium (Wellington), Seddon Park (Hamilton) and Bay Oval (Mount Maunganui) shape as far more likely contenders. Eden Park has the largest capacity at 50,000 and it staged the dramatic 2015 semifinal between South Africa and the Black Caps. Hnry Stadium (colloquially known as the Caketin) can fit in 34,500 fans, but it is a bit of an ugly duckling. Bay Oval and Seddon Park have a similar capacity (10,000-12,000), while Hagley Oval can expand to accommodate 18,000 to 20,000 for ICC matches, but still has the feel and flavour of a more boutique ground. The tournament is taking place in October and November. Twenty teams will play 40 round-robin matches, followed by 12 Super 8 matches, two semifinals and a final for a total of 55 games. Australia and New Zealand are granted automatic qualification courtesy of being joint hosts. England, India, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, the West Indies and Zimbabwe have also qualified via their progression to the Super 8 stage of the recently concluded 2026 event. Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Ireland have also secured their place at the 2028 event, as the next three highest-ranked teams. The remaining eight places in the 20-team field will be determined through a regional qualification pathway. Chief executive Joel Morrison said the tournament "will be the biggest cricket event ever staged in the southern hemisphere". "Australia and New Zealand will host the best players and teams in the world, including arguably the hottest property in sport, reigning champions India. “Cricket World Cups are mega events and they deliver significant social, economic and promotional benefits to host cities."
