On Thursday, the International Cricket Council (ICC) couldn’t manage to decide the fate of this year’s T20 World Cup in Australia as it has now been delayed till June 10 amid the raging coronavirus pandemic that has derailed calendars worldwide. The ICC also launched an inquiry into concerns over the “confidentiality” of its functioning, which the global body felt has been breached in the past few days.
The World Cup is scheduled from October 18 to November 15 but there are speculations about the event being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the window being used by the currently suspended IPL.
In the statement about the teleconference meeting, the ICC said, “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.”
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The reports have also stated that most of the discussion on the day was pertaining to classified information, including internal e-mails, being leaked, an issue that outgoing chairman Shashank Manohar, as well as board members, addressed.
In the press release, the ICC said, “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 a 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 10 June 2020.”
With Cricket Australia announcing their itinerary on the day, which included T20 matches in October, there are questions regarding the scheduled as to why the World T20 cannot go ahead in such a scenario.
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But having a World T20 is not only a health concern but also about commercial viability. If BCCI is unable to organize the IPL in this window, it stands to lose Rs 4000 crore, which certainly would be a big blow.
