ICC defer decision on future of World T20 till June 10
The International Cricket Council (ICC), in a media release on Thursday, confirmed that they have decided to wait till June 10 to take an official call on the future of the World T20 in Australia. The council subsequently conducted a board meeting earlier today to discuss an array of issues.
With the Covid-19 pandemic bringing the world of cricket to a standstill, the future of the 2020 edition of the World T20, that was scheduled to take place in October, has come in jeopardy, with several boards, including the BCCI, voicing their displeasure against the tournament taking place. There has also been speculation about the tournament potentially getting pushed to 2022, with the IPL taking its place later this year and thus the ICC were scheduled to meet today via a teleconference to settle the issue.
However, the council, in a media release, have now confirmed that they have decided to defer the decision regarding the future of the World T20 until June 10.
“The International Cricket Council (ICC) Board met via teleconference today with all agenda items deferred until June 10 2020 following a discussion, led by chairman Shashank Manohar, around the issue of confidentiality,” read an official statement from the ICC.
“A number of board members had raised their concerns over this issue recently and felt it required immediate attention to ensure the sanctity and confidentiality of Board matters in line with the highest standards of governance.
“There was unanimous agreement to immediately initiate an independent investigation led by the ICC’s Ethics Officer and supported by global experts. The Board will be updated on this by the ICC CEO at its next meeting on June 10 2020.
"The Board also requested the ICC management continue with their discussions with stakeholders in exploring various contingency options in light of the rapidly changing public health situation caused by the COVID 19 virus," the statement read.
The ICC T20 World Cup 2020, as per the original plan, is scheduled to be held in Australia from October 18 to November 15 later this year, with a total of 16 teams partaking in the tournament.