JOHANNESBURG - India emerged the biggest winners from the International Cricket Council’s rescheduling of its events due to the Covid-19 pandemic on Friday.
That country will still host the T20 World Cup in 2021, while Australia, due to host the event this year until it was postponed because of the pandemic, will now host the tournament in 2022.
In addition to hosting next year’s tournament, India has still been able to organise its lucrative T20 event, the Indian Premier League this year, although it will be held in the United Arab Emirates, as Covid-19 figures continue to grow in India, while the country is also set to host the 2023 50-over Cricket World Cup.
Friday’s announcement by the ICC means that Bangladesh’s hosting of the T20 World Cup in 2014, is the last time a country outside of the so called ‘big three’ - England, Australia and India - has hosted an ICC men’s event. A total of eight ICC men’s events have been split between the ‘big three’ in the period since leading up to 2023.
🚨 TOURNAMENT UPDATES 🚨
— ICC (@ICC) August 7, 2020
🇮![CDATA[]]>🇳 2021 @T20WorldCup ➡️ India
🇦![CDATA[]]>🇺 2022 #T20WorldCup ➡️ Australia
🇳![CDATA[]]>🇿 2021 Women's @CricketWorldCup postponed to 2022 pic.twitter.com/4bVmTIkQCt
Meanwhile next year’s Women’s 50-over World Cup has also been pushed back by a year.
The tournament was due to take place in New Zealand from the back end of January through to February next year but has been moved to 2022 instead.
While New Zealand has been one of the world’s most successful countries in halting the spread of the coronavirus - Super Rugby has resumed there in front of packed crowds - the ICC felt the preparation time for teams was insufficient to allow the tournament to take place early in the new year.
The Women's @cricketworldcup has been delayed to allow teams sufficient time to prepare for the tournament, while next year's Men's @T20WorldCup will go ahead as planned later in the year🏆
— ICC (@ICC) August 7, 2020
DETAILS ▶️ https://t.co/udItIzp2Rr pic.twitter.com/1U5EPTuNUy
“There has been no women’s international cricket played since the conclusion of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup earlier this year and due to the varying impact of COVID-19 globally that is likely to remain the situation for a number of the teams,” said the ICC’s Chief Executive Manu Sawhney.
“Moving the event by 12 months gives all competing teams the chance to play a sufficient level of cricket ahead of both the qualification event and leading into a Cricket World Cup so the integrity of the tournament is maintained.”
South Africa is set to host the women’s T20 World Cup later in 2022.
@shockerhess