Twenty20 World Cup ‘impossible’ to be staged in October, says PCB chief

Staging the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia in October will be “impossible” due to the logistical challenges involved, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ehsan Mani believes.

Chief among the concerns is how to keep 16 teams in a bio-secure bubble throughout the duration of the World Cup to limit the risk of coronavirus.

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Cricket’s governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC), is exploring contingency plans but has put back a decision on the tournament until July.

While Australia’s rate of coronavirus infections has slowed in recent weeks, Cricket Australia chairman Earl Eddings conceded on Tuesday that expectations that the tournament would go ahead as planned in the autumn were “unrealistic”.

And Mani, an ICC board member, added in a virtual media briefing on Wednesday that the Australian government was still being “very cautious” about the risks of hosting the tournament.

Pakistan are, however, set to tour England in August and September for a three Test, three T20 international series.

“If it (the T20 World Cup) is played this year, they will likely insist it happens in a bio-bubble,” Mani said.

“This is okay for one or two teams but when 12-16 teams play in a T20 tournament, it becomes an impossible thing.

“I don’t think it is feasible today that there is any ICC event in 2020.”

Mani expects the tournament to be rearranged for 2021, with next year’s edition in India then likely to be moved to 2022.

“ICC events were supposed to happen in 2020, 2021 and 2023. The gap in the middle can be filled and this will be deferred,” Mani said.

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