‘Unrealistic’ to go ahead with T20 World Cup, asserts Earl Eddings

06/16/2020

Calling the idea ‘unrealistic’ or ‘very very difficult’, Cricket Australia chairman Earl Eddings has almost put a nail into the coffin for the 2020 T20 World Cup on Tuesday. Nick Hockley, however, mentioned that if the ICC do decide to go ahead, Cricket Australia would be ready with the facilities.

After the 2020 IPL was indefinitely postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the cricketing world’s focus immediately moved to the T20 World Cup. With Australia playing host for the world event, initially scheduled to be played in October-November, cricketing fans waited with bated breath for ICC’s decision.

Having delayed the announcement of what they wanted to do with the World Cup for over two months, the ICC, last week, did the same stating that they would finally come to a decision about the same in July. With the world still not in the clear as far as the pandemic is concerned, Eddings pointed out that hosting the event would be a difficult task this year.

“While it hasn’t been formally called off this year, or postponed, trying to get 16 countries into Australia in the current world, where most countries are still going through COVID spiking, I think it’s unrealistic, or it’s going to be very, very difficult,” Eddings told reporters, reported AFP.

“The ICC are having meetings as we speak, it’s a bit of a movable feast at the moment.”

However, Interim Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley, who was also the CEO of the T20 World Cup, revealed that if the ICC decided to go ahead as planned with the event, Australia would be ready to host the 16-team event.

“We’ve got a fantastic local organising committee who are busy preparing for every eventuality and the decision that will come,” Hockley said.