ICC to discuss T20 contingency plans
DUBAI (CMC):
CONTINGENCY PLANS for the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s T20 World Cup, in which West Indies are defending champions, will be on the agenda when the world governing body for the sport hosts a meeting tomorrow.
The ICC said in a statement Monday that it will host a Chief Executives’ Committee (CEC) meeting via conference call, which will bring together the CEOs of the 12 full members and the three associate representatives. It said the discussion will provide an opportunity for the committee to collectively consider the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sport.
The outbreak has disrupted cricket globally, causing several tournaments to be postponed indefinitely, including the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL).
However, the ICC has indicated that no decision has yet been taken on whether the 2020 edition of the T20 World Cup, scheduled for October-November in Australia, will go a similar route.
“In relation to ICC events, including the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, we will continue to take advice from experts and authorities, including the Australian Government,” said ICC Chief Executive Manu Sawhney. “We will utilise all of the data and information available to us to ensure we can take responsible decisions around all competitions at an appropriate time that are in the best interests of our sport.”
West Indies were preparing to defend their title in the 20-team tournament before the spread of COVID-19 affected both the regional and international playing schedules.
GOVERNMENT ADVICE
The ICC said the purpose of tomorrow’s meeting is to gain a full understanding of member priorities at this time and to discuss and share the key mitigation factors required to resume international cricket, based on government advice in each territory.
The CEC will discuss the approach to rescheduling postponed series, review the calendar through to 2023, and will also receive an update on the continuing contingency planning for all ICC global events, including the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2020.
Sawhney said the meeting is the “first step of a collective process as we assess the impact of this ongoing global pandemic and work together so the sport can emerge from it in a strong position”.
“We need to share knowledge and start to build a deep understanding of what it will take to resume international cricket. The scale of this task should not be underestimated and will encompass a myriad of factors until the publichealth situation has improved to a point that it is safe for our players, our employees, our fans and in a way that will not impact the public-health situation adversely.
“Countries will start to reopen at different stages and in different ways, and we will need to respect that and have a holistic view of this to enable us to take well-informed decisions that mitigate the various risks as much as possible,” he added.
There are now more than 2,529,094 confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide, including almost 175,000 deaths.
In Australia, hosts of this year’s World Cup, there have been over 6,500 cases and 71 people have died.