WC 2015 quarterfinals venue allocation criteria announced by ICC

The venue allocation criteria for the quarterfinals of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, which would be held from 14 February to 29 March, has been announced by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday.

As has been previously announced, if the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 co-hosts, Australia and New Zealand, were to qualify from Pool A, they would play their quarterfinals in Adelaide and Wellington on 20 and 21 March, respectively.

Aside from the hosts, the current Reliance ICC ODI Championship table lists the two next highest ranked teams in Pool A as Sri Lanka and England. If these teams qualify for the quarterfinals, then Sri Lanka would play in Sydney on 18 March and England would play in Melbourne on 19 March, irrespective of where in the top four these teams finish in their pool.

Explaining the quarterfinal venue allocations, ICC General Manager of Cricket, Geoff Allardice, said that it is customary for the ICC to afford the hosts the opportunity to play knock-out matches at home where possible during an ICC Cricket World Cup.

Allardice added that it is also usual for the ICC to assign venues to the higher ranked teams on the assumption they would progress through the pool stage. He said that this is done to assist teams and spectators with their planning by giving them greater certainty.

Allardice also said that on this basis, the ICC has allocated quarterfinal venues to the next two highest ranked teams from Pool A.

However, if any one of the two hosts or the two next highest-ranked Pool A teams fail to reach the quarterfinals, then the team that qualifies instead would play at the venue that was allocated to the side that did not quality.

For example, if Sri Lanka fails to reach the quarterfinal stage, then the Pool A team that qualifies instead of Sri Lanka would play its quarterfinal in Sydney on 18 March.

The venues for quarter finalists from Pool B would be determined by their Pool A opponents, which would be determined by their respective finishing positions in the pool stage.

For example, if India tops Pool B in position B1, then it would play against the Pool A team that finishes in position A4. Therefore, if Sri Lanka finishes in position A4, then India would play Sri Lanka in Sydney on 18 March.

As far as semifinals are concerned, if Australia and New Zealand qualify, then they would play at home unless they are scheduled to meet each other. In this case, the side that finished higher in Pool A would host the match.

The semifinal venue allocations would be confirmed once it is known whether Australia and New Zealand can meet in a semifinal, which would be known at the end of the pool stage.

If both the hosts fail to reach the quarterfinal stage, then the winner of the Wellington quarterfinal would play its semifinal in Sydney.