The forthcoming ICC board meeting has been scheduled on this Friday (7th August), where the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Cricket Australia (CA) will be virtually involved in the crucial discussion of hosting rights in the upcoming two ICC Men’s T20 World Cup tournaments. Also, the International Cricket Council (ICC) will try to bring light on the fate of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2021, which is around six months away to begin as per the latest schedule. Some major decision can be taken at this meeting.
On last 20th July, the ICC officially announced the postponement of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Australia would host that tournament from 18th October to 15th November 2020.
While earlier it was planned that Australia and India would host the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2020 and ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 respectively, these tournaments have been rescheduled in the last ICC board meeting as the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 and ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 without confirming the hosts for both these tournaments.
ICC Men’s T20 World Cup: Hosting rights can be swapped between BCCI and CA
According to the recent media reports, the CA wants to host the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, so the BCCI will have to give up their original hosting rights of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, and instead of that, they can host the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022. However, exactly around one year later, India will host the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. So, organising two back-to-back global events can backfire.
According to the PTI, an ICC board member said, “The BCCI was originally scheduled to host the T20 World Cup in 2021 and they would like to go ahead. Another reason being, hosting a T20 World Cup in 2022 and then a 50 over global event within a gap of just one year. It would be an overkill.”
ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2021
Also, the ICC can take the decision on the fate of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2021. New Zealand will host the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2021 between 6th February and 7th March 2021. While New Zealand is in a better situation to host this tournament due to the lesser COVID-19 effect in the country, the major issue to organise this tournament on time is the Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier is yet to be rescheduled to fulfil the three remaining spots for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2021.
A board member said, “Yes, the qualification tournament is yet to be finished and since every country’s Covid situation is different, that is one headache that the ICC has. Going by health safety issues, New Zealand is one of the best performing nations globally.”
The 2020 Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier was originally scheduled to run between 3rd and 19th July 2020. But the coronavirus pandemic forced to postpone this tournament for the indefinite period.