Asks Royston Alkins
With cricket’s next major event seven months away and the sporting landscape at a standstill due to the rapid spread of the new Coronavirus, fans are on edge as to whether the 2020 ICC Twenty-20 World Cup will also be affected by the pandemic.
The ICC event is scheduled to bowl off mid-October to mid-November in Australia, however, it is unknown whether the virus will be contained before then, allowing the event to take place.
Australia, like most states, has declared the situation “deadly” and has enforced stern measures to contain the spread of the disease, including the closure of sports venues. Entry into Australia has also been prohibited.
Meanwhile, among the other issues to contend with before the much-anticipated World T-20 event is whether teams will have ample time to prepare suitably for top-flight action.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended the implementation of social distancing during this time and this measure will certainly prevent teams from fortifying their preparation.
A number of bilateral series have been cancelled or postponed which doesn’t bode well for teams who are eager to use those series to identify their combinations. The Indian Premier League (IPL), which was thought to be another audition for players ahead of the ICC event is also disturbed.
According to ESPN, “IPL 2020 has been deferred until April 16 following the global concern over the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) outbreak… the new window for the tournament is likely to be April 16 to June 5.”
The league was scheduled to start on March 29.
ESPN in another feature explained that the “cancelling of major cricket matches is a rare occurrence and casts the sport back to the dark days of the two world wars.”
The website noted that on-field play was suspended in 1914 for almost six years because of the First World War. The gap in the competition was slightly longer during the Second World War, stretching from August 1939 until March 1946.
Heading into the World Cup, host Australia will certainly be favoured to lift their maiden title in that format of the game. The task, no doubt will be complicated by the strength and depth of defending champions West Indies, India, England, New Zealand and perhaps South Africa.
However, the hosting of the event will depend heavily on how much success there is to produce a vaccine to fight the deadly COVID-19 disease.
