ICC to mull contingency plans for T20 World Cup
The International Cricket Council (ICC) will hold a video conference with member nations to discuss the plight of T20 World Cup and Test Championship. As the deadly coronavirus continues to jeopardise the world, the upcoming T20 World Cup and several bilateral Test series face the scare of suspension. However, an ICC Board member revealed that the video conference will see no final decision.
ICC needs to be ready with plans
"It's more about an update on contingency planning at this stage. In case of an extreme situation, there should be plan B and C ready. So, we board members need to understand the options available," the veteran administrator said.
No point of taking decision in haste
The board member believes no decision can be taken at this stage as the T20 World Cup is scheduled to take place in October-November, while the Test Championship final will be held in June next year. "The World T20 is in October and final of World Test Championship is in June, 2021. So no point in taking any decision in haste," he said.
England are likely to host West Indies in June
The upcoming edition of T20 World Cup is scheduled to begin on October 24, following the qualifiers. Besides, England will be hosting West Indies for a three-match Test series in June as a part of ICC Test Championship, which offers points to the nations. However, the outbreak of coronavirus may force the member nations to look for alternatives.
Tokyo 2020 Olympics have been postponed
The COVID-19 pandemic, which has claimed over 19,000 lives globally, led to the postponement of all marquee sporting events. On Tuesday, Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced the decision to defer the Tokyo Olympics to 2021. Nonetheless, the possibility of IPL also looks bleak as India have been thrust into lockdown for 21 days. Earlier, it was postponed from March 29 to April 15.
