ICC to explore contingency plans for T20 World Cup until next month

The long-awaited virtual ICC board meeting, concerning the hosting of the T20 World Cup and the IPL and to sort out the nomination process for its next chairman, commenced on Wednesday evening. After several hours of discussion, on Wednesday, the governing council revealed that they would be exploring a number of contingency plans regarding the future of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2020 and the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2021 until next month. Meanwhile, the body would also be planning for delivery of the events in the scheduled window is ongoing.

The Men’s T20 World Cup, which was originally scheduled for October-November this year in Australia, had its fate hanging as the COVID-19 pandemic took over. Meanwhile, discussions on the postponement of the ICC event and making way for a delayed IPL season had also made the rounds. Many believed that the ICC would come up with a solid decision after Wednesday’s meeting. However, the board expressed its desire to continue to assess and evaluate the rapidly changing public health situation caused by the pandemic. In the interim, ICC would be working with key stakeholders, including the governments involved, to explore how the said events can be staged to protect the health and safety of one and all. 

“The situation surrounding the global pandemic is evolving rapidly and we want to give ourselves the best possible opportunity to make the right decision for the whole sport. The health and well-being of everyone involved is our priority and other considerations fall out from that. We will only get one chance to make this decision and it needs to be the right one and as such we will continue to consult with our Members, broadcasters, partners, governments and players and to ensure that we make a well informed decision,”  ICC Chief Executive Manu Sawhney said in a statement released by the board. 

Apart from the aforementioned topics, the other key discussions on the agenda included tax exemptions and independent investigation into the confidentiality of Board matters. The board members discussed the ongoing concern of tax exemptions required for ICC events and agreed to extend the deadline given to the BCCI to provide a tax solution to December 2020. The ICC also received an update on the independent investigation, led by the Ethics Officers, into the confidentiality of Board matters.