T20 Cup still in holding pattern

TWENTY20 World Cup organisers are confident the men’s tournament will thrive if directly competing with the AFL and NRL, having started to consider COVID-19 contingency plans they hope will not be needed.

The world’s health crisis has cast doubt over the T20 World Cup, slated to run from October 18 until November 15 in Australia.

Uncertainty clouds so many elements of life and limitations on international travel loom as a particularly big challenge for the 16-team event, depending on how much the coronavirus continues to spread.

Speculation is rife in India that the T20 World Cup could be postponed or cancelled, but at this stage the International Cricket Council (ICC) has said it is in a holding pattern.

As with the Olympic Games, things could change quickly.

Nick Hockley, chief executive of the T20 World Cup organising committee, points to the French Open and other major sporting events aiming for a September start as cause for some optimism.

“We’re wanting to give ourselves the best possible chance of going ahead as planned, so there’s no imminent or quick decision,” Hockley said.

“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.”

The tournament had been near-perfectly placed in Australia’s sporting calendar to maximise interest, but the postponed AFL and NRL seasons will now almost certainly last long beyond September if they resume.

The World Cup has contracts, including exclusivity lead-up periods, with the MCG and all its venues. But the struggle for TV viewers and crowds will be intense.

“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.”