The upsurge of the coronavirus pandemic across the globe has had a toll on every aspect of human lives including cricket. Many bilateral series had to be postponed or called off in the wake of the deadly virus. The International Cricket Council (ICC) is also to postpone the T20 World Cup 2020. Former South Africa skipper Graeme Smith has opined that the apex body can defer the global event until February-March next year.
With the hosting nation closing its border for the next six months, the future of T20 World Cup hangs by the wire. As the clouds of uncertainty loom large, ICC’s board committee is likely to sit on May 28 to decide on the future course of actions over a conference call.
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T20 World Cup likely to postpone: Graeme Smith
Meanwhile, ICC has already stated that they will prefer the member nation’s choice to bilateral series ahead of the global extravaganza to recover some losses caused by COVID-19. Graeme Smith also spoke on the same lines saying that it is highly likely that the tournament will take place next year.
“The hope was that we would have 14 T20 games before the World Cup in October and that’s not going to happen anymore. There is a very good chance it’s going to be shifted into the beginning of next year, so we’ll have to consistently assess,” Graeme Smith said in a video press conference.
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“There are so many things up in the air, so the key is just to be ready,” he added.
As things look now, cricket will resume after COVID-19 with the three-Test series between England and the West Indies. Pakistan is also likely to tour England while South Africa have expressed that they are ready to host India for a three-match T20I series in August. On the other hand, the Indian Premier League is likely to take place in October-November window, originally kept for the T20 World Cup.
