Published: Apr 06, 2020, 09:47 AM (IST)
Edited: Apr 06, 2020, 09:47 AM (IST)
ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2020 might be six months away but clouds of uncertainty over its organisation remain amid coronavirus pandemic. With almost all major tournaments this year either been cancelled or postponed, the fate of the T20 showpiece event hangs in the balance.
However, organisers of the tournament, set to be held in Australia in October, aren’t in a hurry to make a decision but are prepared for different scenarios.
Nick Hockley, the chief executive of the T20 world cup organising committee is drawing hope from events that have been shifted to the latter half of 2020, namely the French Open.
“We’re wanting to give ourselves the best possible chance of going ahead as planned, so there’s no imminent or quick decision,” Hockley told AAP. “Hopefully it’s all resolved and we go ahead. In the event that it isn’t completely resolved, we are looking at all the different scenarios. Which is only prudent.”
Any decision, expectedly, won’t be unilateral unlike French Open where its organisers allegedly announced the rescheduling without consulting other stakeholders.
“They are collective discussions involving the organising committee, the ICC, all the members. We will keep everyone updated if anything changes. But for now, we’re just under seven months away … we’ve got a bit of time,” Hockley said.
Another challenge before the organisers is the potential clash with Australian Football League (AFL) and National Rugby League (NRL) which have been postponed with their respective seasons expected to continue late in the year.
“We really feel for the winter codes, obviously they’re doing it very tough,” Hockley said. “In the event they have extended seasons … we still think the World Cup is a really strong proposition that might not come here again for 10 or 20 years,” Hockey said.
“People love a World Cup, cricket is Australia’s national sport. We’re playing all around the country at venues that are some of the best in the world … and T20 is the format that appeals to the broadest possible demographic.We’re very encouraged already by the take up in terms of ticket sales,” he added.
