ICC postpones World Cup League 2 and U19 regional qualifiers in midst of Covid-19 pandemic
The International Cricket Council (ICC) have postponed the Men's Cricket World Cup League 2 series and the U19 World Cup Regional Qualifier Division 2 Africa event, owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. The decision from the ICC comes four days after they postponed the marquee World T20 event.
While it has been well-documented that the Covid-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc in the world of cricket and has ripped apart all the plans developed by boards across the world, whatās gone under the radar is the effect it has had on some of the smaller tournaments. Aside from affecting the marquee events, the pandemic has also brought an abrupt halt to plenty of tournaments involving associate nations, including the World Cup qualifiers - Men, Women and U19 tournament - and there seems to be little hope in these tournaments being rescheduled or hosted anytime soon.
And on Wednesday, the ICC announced that the The World Cup League 2 series and the U19 Cricket World Cup Regional Qualifier Division 2 in Africa have become the latest victims of the pandemic, with both the tournaments getting postponed to an indefinite date.Ā
The World Cup League 2 series - involving Namibia, Papua New Guinea and the United States - which was said to be a part of the qualification process for the 2023 World Cup, was set to be played in September in Namibia, while the U19 World Cup Regional Qualifier Division 2 in Africa was due to take place in Tanzania between August 7 and 14, but both competitions have now been pushed to an indefinite date due to the pandemic. The U19 World Cup Regional Qualifier Division 2 was set to involve Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Tanzania.Ā
"With ongoing international travel restrictions, global health concerns still prominent and on government and public health authority advice in relation to COVID-19 we have decided in partnership with members, to postpone two further qualifying events," ICC Head of Events, Chris Tetley said in a statement, reported News18.Ā
This is the fifth straight World Cup League 2 phase getting postponed due to the virus, as four stages between April and July, that were originally scheduled to be played in UAE, Scotland, Nepal and Namibia, respectively, were also postponed due to the novel virus.
On Monday, the ICC confirmed the postponement of the 2020 edition of the World T20, and also announced that the dates for the 2023 World Cup have been pushed from March-April to the November window in order to give more time for the qualification process.Ā Ā