The 2020 edition of the T20 World Cup – postponed by the coronavirus pandemic – will take place in Australia in 2022, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced today (AEDT).
India will host the 2021 edition as planned, the global board of directors said, while the women’s 50+ World Cup scheduled for next year in New Zealand has been postponed to 2022.
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The ICC announced last month that the 2020 edition of the T20 World Cup could not take place in Australia as planned from October this year.
ICC Managing Director Manu Sawhney said in a statement: “We now have absolute clarity about the future of the ICC events so that all of our members can focus on rescheduling lost international and domestic cricket.
“We will now proceed as planned with the 2021 Men’s T20 World Cup in India and host the 2022 edition in Australia.”
ICC acting chairman Imran Khwaja said health and safety was a top priority.
“The decisions the board made today are in the best interests of the sport, our partners and, most importantly, our fans,” he added.
In response to the decision, Nick Hockley, Interim CEO of Cricket Australian said: “It has been a challenging time for everyone and we would like to thank all the fans who bought tickets and supported the 2020 T20 World Cup.
“This decision gives Australia something to look forward to in 2022. It also gives us a good chance to safely welcome fans to the country’s premier venues to watch the world’s best cricketers play at this major global event.”
However, the call to postpone the Australian World Cup until 2022 and allow India to host the flagship T20 event has not been well received by everyone. Cricket writer, podcaster and commentator Geoff Lemon wrote on Twitter: “India with 2 million confirmed Covid cases (and who knows how many more with a case-to-test ratio of 1 to 11) is apparently fine to host a T20 world mug in a year. Correct. “
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Australian cricket writer and broadcaster Adam Collins was dismayed by the calls for men’s and women’s tournaments, saying they reflected India’s power in the world of cricket.
“If you ever needed proof of everything you ever knew was true about the way world cricket works, then it is here,” he tweeted.
“As for the Women’s World Cup? 12 months delay. Despite the fact that New Zealand – a country that has all but wiped out Covid – should be host. I mean what can you say
“Another deeply disappointing day for World Cricket. However, the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) will shape it so well played. “
COVID-19 has devastated the global sports calendar, but international cricket has resumed behind closed doors in England. The host country is currently up against Pakistan in a test series of three games.
The format of the T20 World Cup 2021 will remain unchanged and all teams that have qualified for this event will now compete in India in 2021.
A new qualification process is in progress for the 2022 edition in Australia.
The format of the postponed Women’s World Cup remains unchanged for 2021. Five teams have already qualified for the event and that will stand for 2022.
The original global qualifier to determine the final three teams will now take place in 2021.
AFP and staff writers
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