Really fearful about 2020 T20 World Cup in Australia, asserts Michael Hussey

As England prepare themselves for the series against West Indies, there have been huge resources at play, with the on-site hotel in Old Trafford and Southampton playing host to both sides for the series. ECB managed to create a bio-secure bubble, in which all players will have their own room and social distancing measures will be undertaken quite seriously.

However, the same can’t be arranged for a mega-event like the T20 World Cup, considering the magnitude and enormity of the occasion. Hosting 16 teams at the same times, which would require arranging around 6-7 teams in one city, would be a challenging task for the event management team, something Hussey pointed out in a podcast.

“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,” Hussey said in a podcast called ‘HotSpot’.

“But having to bring a number of teams and getting them isolated 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.”

With Cricket Australia getting rid of many staff as a cost-cutting measure, there has been an increasing reliance on the India series that is slated for December and January. While India’s tour of Australia in October for a short T20 series seems unlikely, India, in all probability, will play four Tests and an ODI series in Australia in December. Hussey stated that he is really looking forward to that series. 

“I am a lot more positive about the Indian tour of Australia going ahead and the reason is bringing one team to tour here and getting them to a hub is easier. For example, Adelaide Oval has just built a hotel connected to the stadium, so the Indian team could base themselves there, train and prepare for a series, and play against Australia. We have all got our fingers crossed, as we know that this pandemic keeps throwing these curve balls and we need to adapt and move quickly,” the stylish Southpaw said.