ICC keeping T20 World Cup semis plans fluid, three venues in fray, but all depends on Pakistan and Sri Lanka: Report
The ICC has sent an official communication to all stakeholders, outlining the scenarios and the venues for the semi-finals. “Semi-final 1 is a floating arrangement with the match to be held in either Colombo or Kolkata. If Pakistan qualify for the semi-finals, they will play in semi-final 1 in Colombo on 4 March,” the communication stated, according to ESPNCricinfo.The ICC has also confirmed that if neither Pakistan nor Sri Lanka qualifies for the semi-finals, semi-final 1 will be played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, while the second semi-final will be held at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.Suryakumar Yadav's India will play the semi-final at Wankhede, irrespective of who they play against, but the scenario will change completely unless they play Pakistan, as in that case, the match will be played at the Premadasa in Colombo.If none of India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka qualifies for the semi-finals, then the team that finishes first in Group 1 of the Super 8s will play the second-placed team from Group 2 in Kolkata, and the Group 2 winner will take on the Group 1 runners-up in Mumbai.Sri Lanka and Pakistan are in the same group for the Super 8s, so there is no chance these two teams will meet in the semi-final.The ICC release at that time had stated, “If Pakistan qualifies for the semi-finals, Colombo's R. Premadasa Stadium will replace Kolkata as the host of Semi-Final 1. Should Pakistan reach the final, that venue will also shift from Ahmedabad to Colombo. If India and Pakistan meet in the semi-finals, that match will be staged in Colombo, while Mumbai will host Semi-Final 2 involving India if they face any team other than Pakistan."However, the playing conditions do not explicitly specify a scenario whereby Sri Lanka can play a home semi-final.
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