ICC to take call on T20 WC: Official

NEW DELHI: The postponement of this year’s T20 World Cup in Australia to 2022, which might open up a window for the lucrative Indian Premier League in October, is expected to be formalised when the International Cricket Council’s all-powerful board holds a tele-conference on Thursday.

The decision, if it is formalised, owing to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic will give members a chance to chalk out their bilateral blue-print in the coming months.

“There is a good chance that postponement of World T20 will be decided during Thursday’s board meeting. Whether there will be a formal announcement or not is the question,” an ICC board member told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

“There is very little chance of World T20 going ahead in this situation. I don’t think either Cricket Australia or the top boards will mind,” he added.

An ICC spokesperson said reports stating that a decision to postpone the World Cup has been taken are “inaccurate”.

However, the spokesperson acknowledged that a “number of contingency plans are being explored in light of the rapidly changing public health situation caused by the Covid-19 virus.” It can also be safely concluded that India will be touring Australia at the end of the year as members are likely to give more precedence to bilateral engagements to recover from the financial losses incurred during the pandemic.

The board member also said that it’s not only about the countries but also about broadcasters Star Sports, which incidentally holds rights for both the ICC events as well as BCCI’s ‘India Cricket’ rights and the IPL rights.

“There are a few questions that need to be asked. The commercial viability of having a T20 World Cup in February-March 2021. Before that, an IPL in OctoberNovember window and another IPL in the March-May window,” a BCCI insider privy to the broadcast deals said. “So we are looking at three big-ticket tournaments in six months. In this scenario, that will be a very bad call.”