Published: Mar 31, 2020, 07:57 AM (IST)
Edited: Mar 31, 2020, 07:57 AM (IST)
Coronavirus continues to wreak havoc across different spheres of life and ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia later this year could become its latest casualty. Reports have emerged that few stakeholders have proposed with the ICC to delay the showpiece T20 event in the wake of global lockdown enforced due to the deadly COVID-19.
However, it’s too early to speculate the fate of the tournament which was last held in 2016, but with almost all the major sporting events being cancelled to contain the spread of coronavirus, the possibility of it being delayed cannot be ruled out.
While the women’s edition concluded earlier this month, the men’s version is to be held in October.
According to a report in The Times of India, Australia could host the tournament in 2022 as 2021 is packed including a T20 World Cup in India as well. It is improbable that the stakeholders would want two editions of a world cup in the same year.
“The question being internally discussed was to postpone it but there was no status quo on ‘until when?’ Well, India is scheduled to tour Australia in December. Early next year, Australia have their Big Bash scheduled. March would not be an ideal time (with IPL to begin in April) because the broadcaster won’t agree to back-toback T20 events,” TOI quoted a source as saying.
“India is anyway hosting the 2021 T20 World Cup. So, the ideal choice has to be 2022,” the source added.
The ICC member boards are to scheduled to meet in May and the decision on whether the tournament can be held as planned will likely be taken then.
