Pushing for cup delay

CA counting the costs

CRICKET: Cricket Australia wants the Twenty20 World Cup postponed, as it braces for a $80 million hit to its summer coffers.

CA chairman Earl Eddings has written to the International Cricket Council, saying Australia won’t be in a position to host the T20 showpiece this October and November as scheduled.

Eddings, in an email, asked the ICC to give Australia rights to host the tournament next year, according to a report in The Times of India.

The report came as CA chief executive Kevin Roberts suggested yesterday the cup could be held next February and March, or in October and November next year.

He said there was a “very high risk” of the cup being postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. CA stands to lose $20 million from not hosting the cup as per schedule.

Roberts said CA would suffer a further $50 million blow if crowds were not allowed to attend international games in Australia this summer.

In addition, CA will spend around $10 million on biosecurity measures to ensure international teams can play here.

“The likelihood of significant crowds is very slim – ordinarily that would deliver well over $50 million revenue to

CA,” he said.

“The T20 World Cup is a big question ... we have been hopeful all along that it could be staged in October, November – but you would have to say there’s a very high risk about the prospect of that happening.”

While the T20 World Cup could be rescheduled to next year, the summer schedule released by CA highlights four Tests against India, which are set to deliver some $300 million in broadcast rights.

The schedule has India playing the Gabba, Adelaide Oval, SCG and MCG, but that could yet change.

“That (schedule) assumes that state borders are open to domestic travel,” Roberts said.

“It may be that circumstances dictate that when the time comes, maybe we can only use one or two venues.

“We really don’t know any of that yet. There’s endless scenarios and possibilities.

“We’re very optimistic that we will be able to stage the Indian men’s tour and the other inbound tours for the season, but we’re realistic enough to know they will look very different to a normal summer.

“We have been forced to effectively plan for the worst and hope for the best.”