T20 World Cup delayed till next year due to virus

•DUBAI • This year's Twenty20 World Cup, which Australia was scheduled to host from Oct 18 until Nov 15, has been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said yesterday.

"At today's meeting... windows for the next three ICC men's events were also agreed to bring clarity to the calendar and give the sport the best possible opportunity," the sport's governing body announced after a meeting of its commercial subsidiary IBC.

Accordingly, there will be back-to-back men's T20 World Cups next year and in 2022 before the 50-overs World Cup in India in 2023.

"The decision... was taken after careful consideration of all of the options available to us and gives us the best possible opportunity of delivering two safe and successful T20 World Cups for fans around the world," ICC chief executive Manu Sawhney said.

"Our members now have the clarity they need around event windows to enable them to reschedule lost bilateral and domestic cricket," he added.

The ICC added it would also continue to evaluate the situation ahead of the women's World Cup in New Zealand, currently scheduled for Feb 6 to March 7 next year.

While no new date has been announced, the delay of the T20 World Cup does free up a possible window for the start of the Indian Premier League, with the new season yet to get under way owing to the Covid-19 crisis.

With India recording over 1.13 million cases and over 27,000 deaths till yesterday, the authorities have been unable to say when the competition can commence safely. But it now appears that a late October to mid-November slot may be possible, coinciding with the end of the monsoon season.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE