COVID-19: ICC postpones T20 World Cup 2020

DUBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has postponed the Men’s T20 World Cup 2020, scheduled to be held later this year in Australia, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

According to a press release, the decision came after the meeting of the IBC Board (the commercial subsidiary of the ICC) today (Monday).  

During the meeting, windows for the next three ICC men’s events were also agreed to bring clarity to the calendar to recover from the disruption caused by COVID-19.

ICC in a statement said, “The IBC Board agreed to continue to monitor the rapidly changing situation and assess all the information available in order to make a considered decision on future hosts to ensure the sport is able to stage safe and successful global events in 2021 and 2022.”

ICC Chief Executive Manu Sawhney said, “We have undertaken a comprehensive and complex contingency planning exercise and through this process, our number one priority has been to protect the health and safety of everyone involved in the sport.

“The decision to postpone the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 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,” he added.

The ICC chief executive further said that its members now have the clarity they need around event windows to enable them to reschedule lost bilateral and domestic cricket.

“Throughout this process, we have worked closely with our key stakeholders including governments, Members, broadcasters, partners, and medical experts to enable us to reach a collective decision for the good of the game and our fans. I would like to thank everyone involved for their commitment to a safe return to cricket,” he concluded.

The windows for the Men’s events are:

ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 will be held October – November 2021 with the final on 14 November 2021.

ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 will be held October – November 2022 with the final on 13 November 2022.

ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 will be held October – November 2023 with the final on 26 November 2023.