Former India captain and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly, has recently explained in a letter to the members of the board why they have shifted the ICC T20 World Cup to the UAE, as per a report of ANI. He added that the safety of players and others are more important than anything else.
“We wanted to apprise you that we have discussed this issue with ICC and have had several rounds of discussions internally,” Ganguly wrote, as per ANI. “After much deliberation, it has been decided that safety of players and other stakeholders is of paramount importance, and keeping that in mind, it is best that we shift the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup to the United Arab Emirates and Oman.”
“It was not an easy decision and we mulled over it for months, constantly keeping an eye on the COVID situation all along. However, with the second wave causing such devastation, the decision ultimately boiled down to the safety and well-being of the players and organizers. Although, vaccination in the country is going at breakneck speed, there are reports of a third wave and different variants, which we just cannot ignore. There is nothing more that we could have wanted than to host this prestigious tournament in India, but it was not to be,” Sourav Ganguly further added.
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On the other hand, the BCCI decided to host the rest of the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League in the UAE which was earlier postponed for an indefinite time period in May after several players and support staffs got affected by the deadly virus inside the bio bubble. And, the board had to take a call on an immediate basis as well.
However, it will resume in the September-October window. Notably, the ICC had to cancel the T20 World Cup last year as well because of the COVID-19, which was about to take place in Australia.
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“On the brighter side, the BCCI remains the host for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and with its prior experience in hosting IPL in UAE, we can say with certainty that it will be hosted smoothly, and the BCCI will leave no stone unturned to make it an unprecedented success. We thank you for your continued support and we hope that you will give your unflinching support on this issue as well, as you have done in the past,” Sourav Ganguly concluded.
