ICC keeping eye on India after its recce team skips IPL
NEW DELHI: The worsening Covid-19 situation in India has brought the focus on International Cricket Council’s (ICC) contingency plan for the T20 World Cup scheduled to be held in India in October-november.
While ICC always has a contingency plan, a back-up venue, for every tournament it organises, it is likely that the T20 World Cup could be shited to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) if the Covid-19 situation doesn’t improve in India in the next couple of months.
The ICC team of officials that was to visit India for a recce during the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) cancelled its visit due to the prevailing Covid-19 situation in India.
As of now, the ICC, the organiser of the T20 World Cup, is keeping a close watch on India.
According to sources, the ICC hasn’t yet made up its mind since the situation in India is evolving and the World Cup is still over five months away.
However, the UAE seems to be the front-runner as an alternate venue. Having the experience of hosting IPL before and also serving as the headquarters for the world body, the UAE has emerged as the ideal back-up venue.
The ICC interim CEO Geoff Allardice had, over a fortnight ago, said that they have back-up plans that they can activate, if required, although officially the tournament is staying in India as of now.
India is currently reporting over 300,000 Covid cases and over 2500 Covid deaths daily.
Four players have already let the IPL and returned home over the last couple of days due to the rising Covid cases outside the bio-bubble they were living and playing IPL matches in.
However, the Indian cricket board has decided to continue with the IPL in bio-bubble. More than half of the tournament is yet to be played, ending May 30.
Meanwhile, The Kolkata Knight Riders ( KKR) CEO, Venky Mysore, on Tuesday allayed concerns about the safety protocols inside the bio-secure bubble, saying they were ‘unprecedented’.
“The protocol and safety features that have been built into the bio-secure bubble are unprecedented, and I think it couldn’t have been any beter. Everyone is being properly taken care of,” asserted Mysore.
Lauding the gesture of his team’s Australian player Pat Cummins -- who donated US $50,000 to the PM Cares Fund for the fight against Covid-19, Mysore said it was a “class act” from the cricketer.
“As I have already put out, it was a class act from Pat. The sentiments of the KKR management are prety similar to what Pat has articulated. I think we are privileged to be in a position where we are able to do what we really enjoy doing,” Mysore said.
On Monday, KKR pace bowler Cummins became the first cricketer to contribute to the Covid-relief fund to help Indian hospitals “buy oxygen supplies”.
KKR’S wicketkeeper-batsman Tim Seifert also lauded Cummins’s initiative, saying, “It was a fantastic gesture from Pat. A message from the entire KKR family to everyone out there -- just want to say stay safe, be smart, sanitise your hands and wear masks. Our prayers to help everyone out there, in India and around the world.” Mysore conceded that there is a world outside which is struggling in the pandemic and India is going through a “tough challenge”.