Published: May 29, 2020, 07:00 AM (IST)
Edited: May 28, 2020, 08:49 PM (IST)
The International Cricket Council (ICC) Board on Thursday deferred a decision on all agenda items, including the fate of the T20 World Cup in Australia, till June 10. After months of uncertainty, the world body of cricket – ICC was expected to finally decide on the fate of the men’s 2020 World T20 in Australia with an eye on the COVID-19 pandemic on Thursday. The flagship event was slated to be held in Australia from October 18 to November 15.
The ICC in its release said: “A number of board members had raised their concerns over this issue recently and felt it required immediate attention to ensure the sanctity and confidentiality of board matters in line with the highest standards of governance.
“There was unanimous agreement to immediately initiate an independent investigation led by the ICC’s Ethics Officer and supported by global experts. The board will be updated on this by the ICC CEO at its next meeting on 10 June 2020.
The World Cup is scheduled from October 18 to November 15 but there is intense speculation about the event being postponed due to the pandemic and the window being used by the currently suspended IPL.
“The Board also requested the ICC management continue with their discussions with stakeholders in exploring various contingency options in light of the rapidly changing public health situation caused by the COVID 19 virus.”
Earlier, the reports came out that not just member boards, but also Australian cricketers weren’t too keen about the showpiece event going ahead as per plan due to the spread of the deadly virus.
The next T20 World Cup is slated to be played in India in 2021. And if the event doesn’t happen in 2020, this edition will be held in 2022. Indian Premier League (IPL) 13th edition got also stalled due to ongoing situation.
Earlier, the Tokyo Olympic Games were also postponed by a year due to the outbreak of novel coronavirus. The 2020 Wimbledon Championships has also been cancelled and there are serious doubts over other Grand Slams as well.
