T20 World Cup unlikely to take place in October, opines Ehsan Mani

The rumour mill has it that the premier T20I fixture would be postponed after the situation around the world due to COVID-19. While it is set to affect Cricket Australia massively in terms of economics, the event itself was highly anticipated by the fans. Talking about the immediate future of the competition, PCB’s chairman Ehsani Mani was of the opinion that the tournament is unlikely to take place Down Under in October. 

“Given the COVID-19 situation and the number of participating teams taking part in the event, I believe it is unlikely to take place this year,” he told TOI.

“All the ICC events are important for world cricket not only for the money but also for the well-being of the game as a whole. The ICC’s decision on the timing of the ICC events will depend on the COVID-19 situation, the views of all the stakeholders and what is best for all the ICC members.”

Away from the global event, closer to Asia, the 75-year-old confirmed that the PCB have swapped the hosting rights of the 2020 Asia Cup with the Island nation. He also added that all these details were discussed in the last ACC meeting between all the Asian cricketing boards. 

“We will just have to wait and see what happens in the next two-three weeks. Swapping with Sri Lanka made sense as the COVID-19 situation is better there than in the rest of the sub-continent.”