T20 World Cup postponement almost certain, decision on Friday: Reports

It has been long due but International Cricket Council (ICC) might finally be ready to call time on T20 World Cup 2020 to be held in Australia this year. According to a report in dailytelegraph.com.au, the final decision on postponement of the world event might come on Friday (July 11) when ICC officials meet again.

Australian journalist Ben Horne wrote that the T20 World Cup postponement will give a much-needed window to India Premier League (IPL) to host its 13th edition between September and October this year. The Australian newspaper also confirmed that IPL may well be moving to UAE or Sri Lanka due to rising number of Coronavirus cases in India.

With the T20 World Cup getting cancelled, hosts Australia may well be travelling to England to play in a limited-overs series in mid-September. England are the first country to resume international cricket, beginning with a three-Test series against West Indies, which gets underway on Wednesday (July 8).

T20 World Cup in Australia may only happen in 2022

The report adds that ICC’s meeting on Friday will not be in a position to decide when the postponed T20 World Cup will be held although hosts Australia are keen to organise this event in October 2021. India, however, are scheduled to host the next edition of the T20 World Cup according to ICC’s Future Tours Program (FTP).

Australia as a result might have to settle to host the T20 World Cup in 2022 at the earliest.

If IPL-13 indeed happens and Australia tours England as planned, it would be easier for the contracted IPL players from the country to travel from England to Asia or Middle-East for the premier T20 league without having to quarantine twice – in Australia and then to the country where IPL would eventually be held.

The IPL 2020 was originally scheduled to commence in March this year but was suspended indefinitely following the COVID-19 outbreak.

Cricket Australia themselves have stated that hosting the T20 World Cup this year is unrealistic. Former Australia batsman Michael Hussey had also said that he was ‘fearful’ for the fate of the event.

“I am really fearful about the T20 World Cup to be honest and the reason for that is I think it is okay to bring out one team to play international cricket and get them to isolate and stay safe and prepare well for a series,” Michael Hussey said in a podcast called ‘HotSpot’.

“But having to bring a number of teams and getting them to isolate to prepare and then move around the country to different venues I think that will be a logistical nightmare. From what we are hearing perhaps the T20 World Cup will have to be postponed for 2021 or even 2022,” Michael Hussey added.