The novel coronavirus has had a widespread impact on sports in the world and cricket is no different. After the indefinite postponement of the Indian Premier League, fans have more sad news lined up as ICC aren’t going to confirm anything around the T20 World Cup until August.
Australia have their borders sealed for six months owing to the coronavirus crisis. The T20 World Cup scheduled to take place from October 18 to November 15 in Australia this year could be postponed to next year. But ICC aren’t deciding anything until August if reports on the Times of India are anything to go by.
A reliable source has confirmed to TOI that “the ICC will not take any such decision till as late as August.” “Right now, things look bleak, and people’s health is the first priority. However, what if the situation improves in a few months’ time? What if the ICC announces that the T20 World Cup is postponed in May itself, and things improve a couple of months down the line, and cricket’s governing body realizes that it took a hasty decision. The ICC will take time to decide on the fate of this event, till as late as August. Don’t expect any announcement before that.”
“As of now, everything will proceed as per plan, and assuming that the tournament will be held as per its original dates. So, all other preparations by the ICC’s Local Organising committee (LOC) in Australia, which is already in place, will be on in full swing,” he said.
An ICC spokesperson further added: “During this period of uncertainty, our first responsibility is to protect the well-being of the players, coaches, officials, fans and the whole cricket community and we will take a safety-first approach to all the operations over the coming months.”
The ICC has a meeting on Thursday scheduled with all of its Chief Executives Committees’ (CEC) via videoconferencing
“With the international cricket calendar having gone haywire, it’s likely that all the members will deliberate on revising the Future Tours Programme (FTP). These discussions though could be at an initial stage. Many more such meetings may be required in the future,” the source said.