Melbourne [Australia], January 21 (ANI): Australia white-ball skipper Aaron Finch feels Group 1 of the ICC men's T20 World Cup is a "tough" one and the Aussies need to play really well to defend their title this year.

The schedule for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022 was announced on Friday.

In the Super 12, hosts Australia are in Group 1 with world number one England, New Zealand, Afghanistan plus the winner of Group A and the runner-up in Group B from the First Round"It's super exciting to be here today and to launch it, it's something really special for Australia, particularly on the back of how successful the Women's T20 World Cup was, and hopefully we can replicate what Australia did there," Finch said in a Cricket Australia (CA) release.

"Our planning was ultra-detailed last time and knowing what the groups look like nine months out is really helpful because it can help your level of detail in that planning phase more and more.

"It's a tough group though, and when you throw in qualifiers like the West Indies and Sri Lanka, you've got to play really well to get out of that group stage," he added.

Hosts and defending champions, Australia will play New Zealand in the opening match of the Super 12 at the SCG on Saturday 22 October in a re-match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021 Final.

The Black Caps will also face England at The Gabba on 1 November in a re-match of their epic semi-final encounter at the 2021 event.

The semi-finals will be played at the SCG and Adelaide Oval on 9 and 10 November, respectively. It will be the first time the Adelaide Oval will host a World Cup semi-final.

The MCG will host the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022 Final, which will be contested under lights on 13 November 2022. (ANI)