The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup features the newest edition this year. The tournament will take place between October 18 and November 15. Last month, Australia hosted the women’s tournament edition, and it was a huge success. The global event is also in doubt, as COVID-19 has led to the cancellation of many cricket tournaments all around the world.
Coronavirus outbreaks have raised some doubts over tournament management. The tournament is held in Australia and is one of the most influential in the country. The Australian government said that the global pandemic could last six months and was not sure how and when things would eventually become routine.
ICC to monitor the situation in Australia before taking a call
Recently, the ICC also stated the matter. They said in a statement that the current tournament schedule is likely to go ahead. They said that the local organizing committee for the tournament would consider all things and would carefully consider the situation before making a final decision. For now, however, the match will be played as expected, the ICC said.
“In response to the ongoing coronavirus crisis, the ICC T20 World Cup 2020 local organizing committee is closely monitoring the situation and will continue to do so,” the ICC said in a statement. “The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2020 will be held in seven venues across Australia from October 18 to November 15, 2020. We plan to continue the event according to schedule,” the ICC said.
If the situation does not improve globally or in Australia, the tournament may cancel entirely. Recently, there have been rumors that the ICC is planning to re-schedule the match for 2022. India will host another edition of the men’s T20 World Cup next year. Therefore, if the ICC wishes to re-schedule the tournament, it could easily be that 2021 is not the year for Australia.
At the moment, there are 5788 people infected with COVID-19 in Australia. The country has claimed 39 deaths so far, and the government, along with the Department of Health, is trying to keep this figure under control.