Australian opener David Warner on Friday said that it would be highly unlikely for the ICC T20 World Cup to happen later this year as scheduled due to the global crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The ICC World Cup will not go ahead here by the looks of it. It will be difficult to get everyone (16 teams) together,” said Warner in an Instagram live session with India’s batting star Rohit Sharma.
Like major sporting events across the globe, all forms of professional cricket have come to standstill and a dark cloud of uncertainty looms over the fate of the T20 World Cup as well. The tournament at the Down Under is facing a serious threat also because the Australian government has banned the entry of all kinds of foreigners till September 30.
However, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is yet to take the final call on the showpiece event.
Earlier, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has suggested that India and Australia can swap the hosting rights of the next two T20 World Cups to reduce the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic in the cricket world. India is due to host the event in 2021.
Speaking about it, swashbuckling Australian batsman Chris Lynn had said that the men’s T20 World Cup, scheduled to be played in October-November in Australia, should not be played as it will be a “logistical nightmare” for the country amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“My personal opinion is no. Obviously we’re praying for it to go ahead but we’ve just got to play what’s in front of us. Having teams come from all over the world is going to be a logistical nightmare,” Lynn was quoted as saying by IANS.
“Hotels, travel, keeping the teams in the hotels for a number of weeks before the tournament is going to be tough work moving forward,” he added.