Decision on T20 World Cup today

Four months away from the T20 World Cup in Australia, a call over its postponement is still to be taken. The ICC will meet virtually yet again today (Wednesday), as the sixteen competing nations wait for word on whether the event will go ahead or not.

The improving health situation in Australia may raise hopes, but with international travel suspended, quarantine rules and extra expenditures involved, no crowds, and rusty cricketers, staging the big ticket event appears increasingly difficult.

 ICC’s own guidelines for return to T20 cricket advocates at least 5 weeks of training before a match for example, and players in many countries, including India, Bangladesh and Pakistan have not returned to any form of training yet.

In the last ICC meeting held two weeks back, a decision on the world cup was deferred by the governing body to attend to an internal communication leakage.

An ethics inquiry was set up subsequently, and the ICC CEO is scheduled to share its findings at the meeting. Also on the agenda is putting in place a timeline for elections for the ICC Chair.

Those tracking developments say the impending decision over the T20 World Cup, the ethics inquiry, and the sharp email-exchange between BCCI and ICC over tax issues are all related to July’s ICC elections. The wait keeps the Indian cricket board, who are hoping that the World Cup is deferred or cancelled so the IPL can be held in that window, on the edge.

“Everyone is waiting for them to make a decision about the World Cup. It’s about time a decision is arrived at, since boards have their bilateral calendar to attend to,” said BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal.



Dhaka/Mukul