ICC T20 Men’s World Cup, which was set to take place in Australia in October and November this year, has been postponed by the organization because of the continuous coronavirus outbreak.
The ICC has been going through alternate plans of action since Cricket Australia (CA) recognized the logistical difficulties engaged with arranging a 16-group tournament in the midst of tour and other limitations.
Subsequently, there will be consecutive men’s T20 World Cups in 2021 and 2022 preceding the 50-over World Cup in India in 2023.
“The decision … was taken after careful consideration of all of the options available to us and gives us the best possible opportunity of delivering two safe and successful T20 World Cups for fans around the world,” ICC CEO Manu Sawhney said in an announcement.
CA’s interim CEO, Nick Hockley, said in the explanation that it had been a “challenging time for everyone”.
“We are confident that with this decision, we will give ourselves the best chance to safely welcome fans into the outstanding venues across the country to enjoy watching the world’s best men’s cricketers compete in this major global event in either 2021 or 2022,” he said.
“Cricket Australia currently anticipates facilitating a protected and successful summer of bilateral cricket.”
He later told correspondents in a public interview that the vulnerability around the pandemic had constrained the ICC’s hand.
“You know, the more we’ve looked at it, the more we’ve understood that with international borders currently closed and requiring exemptions — the same with some state borders — [and] the prospect of bringing 15 teams in and moving them around the country, the decision to postpone was absolutely inevitable,” he said.
Hockley was inquired as to whether there had been any chance of deferring the occasion to next February, after the primary summer of cricket.
“We couldn’t get that level of certainty if we were to push it out by effectively what would have been four and a half months, hence the decision to look to stage a year out and then a subsequent two years out,” he said.
In the original schedule, India was planned to have the 2021 edition of the Twenty20 World Cup.
The ICC didn’t determine the facilitating request and a representative revealed to Reuters the overseeing body was at this point to finish, among India and Australia, who will facilitate which edition.
India’s cricket board, the BCCI, is quick to organize the 2021 version to abstain from facilitating consecutive ICC events in 2022 and 2023.
It has despised the vulnerability around the current year’s World Cup which, it feels, made a scheduling headache for cricket boards already wounded by the pandemic’s monetary effect.
The BCCI has also been open about its plots to organize its deferred Indian Premier League Twenty20 rivalry in the now-empty October-November space, something one-time Australian commander Allan Border prior portrayed as meager more than a “money grab”.
India has more than 1 million affirmed coronavirus cases, with 27,497 deaths, as indicated by Johns Hopkins University information.
“Our members now have the clarity they need around event windows to enable them to reschedule lost bilateral and domestic cricket,” Sawhney said.
CA has already dropped its home restricted-overs series against Zimbabwe in August, and is eyeing off a potential constrained-overs visit England instead.
The ICC said it would keep on assessing the circumstances while planning for the 2021 ladies’ 50-overs World Cup, which is planned for New Zealand from February 6.
Australia’s women’s’ team won its rendition of the T20 World Cup before in excess of 86,000 fans at the MCG in February.
