The future of the T20 World Cup in Australia and finalising the nomination process for its next chairman will be the priority for the International Cricket Council (ICC) board when it meets on Wednesday via video-conferencing.
Though Australian sports minister Richard Colbeck told Sportstar that the country is optimistic about hosting the tournament in October this year, chances are high that it could be pushed back ‘at least’ by a year. A decision was expected in the ICC Board’s previous meeting on May 30, but that did not happen as leaks of classified e-mails gained precedence over the agenda.
It needs to be seen whether the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) agrees to push back next year’s T20 World Cup — which was originally awarded to India — to 2022 and allows Cricket Australia to host the tournament next year. The BCCI officials say that they will think about the issue only if there is a formal decision on the matter.
READ|
For the BCCI, another important topic of discussion would be issue of tax exemption for the T20 World Cup, scheduled in India in 2021. “There are too many speculations. We will have to wait and watch how things pan out. For now, there are many possibilities and we have to be open to all of them,” one of the member board officials said.
Obviously, if this year’s T20 World Cup is postponed, then the chances of IPL brightens. But as one of the senior board officials says, “it all depends on how the coronavirus situation is over the next few months.”
Choice for the chairman
Hosting the T20 World Cup is not the only priority. For the ICC, the next few weeks are going to be interesting as a new chairman is set to be elected. With Shashank Manohar not seeking further extensions, there is a strong buzz that England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB)’s Colin Graves is the front-runner to succeed Manohar.
Some of the member nations have also shown keenness in electing BCCI chief Sourav Ganguly or Pakistan Cricket Board chief Ehsan Mani as the head of the ICC. But the BCCI is yet to decide whether Ganguly will contest.
ALSO READ|
Even the PCB officials remained tight-lipped about Mani’s plans. “It’s too early to predict anything. The ICC first needs to come up with the election process and the guidelines and only then, picture could be clearer,” one of the top officials from South East Asia said, adding that there are 17 votes in the ICC Board — which includes 12 Test-playing nations, three associates, independent member. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 2pm (UAE time).
Comments
SHARE