Cannot host World T20 without spectators, reckons Wasim Akram

Just before the COVID-19 pandemic struck the world, the cricketing fans were eagerly waiting for both the IPL and the WT20 to go ahead with full enthusiasm. However, the pandemic has left all the fans hoping and praying for both the tournaments to at least now be hosted in this calendar year, with there being speculations about the events getting postponed due to the virus.

A solution that has been suggested by many is for the WT20 to go ahead Down Under without spectators, but former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram reckoned that the tournament, being an ICC event, cannot be hosted without a crowd. 

“Personally, I don’t think it’s a good idea. I mean, how could you have a cricket World Cup without spectators,” Akram said on Thursday, reported Sportstar.

“A World Cup is all about big crowds, spectators coming from all parts of the globe to support their teams. It’s all about atmosphere and you cannot get it behind closed doors,” he said.

Earlier in May, ICC deferred a decision on the tournament’s fate, with them continuing to seek all solutions to tackle the pandemic. The left-arm seamer also added that ICC should wait for a more suitable time before they can allow Cricket Australia (CA) to host the mega-event. 

“So I believe that they (ICC) should wait for a more suitable time and once this pandemic subsides and restrictions are eased then we can have a proper World Cup,” he said.