After the Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that sports stadiums with a seating capacity of up to 40,000 would be allowed to fill 25% seats with spectators from next month, a senior BCCI official expressed dejection and said that it might put India’s participation in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup – if it happens – at risk.

According to news agency IANS, a BCCI official said that while the Indian team would be more than willing to be a part of the T20 World Cup, it will all finally come down to the directives issued by the government as well as the health professionals as the safety of the players is priority.

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“It is a bold step by the Australian government and I am sure they have taken the step after assessing their circumstances for sports in Australia. We would be only happy to participate in the T20 World Cup in Australia but there are a lot of things that are in play and they all centre around health. The factors that affect the decision finally are factors that are not in the control of the BCCI.

“We would have to decide in accordance with the directives of our government and the advice of health professionals. The safety of our players and fans is paramount for us and it is not that the team has to travel in an exclusive and disinfected bus from Mumbai to Pune and play there and come back straight from the ground to their respective homes in a completely controlled environment,” the official pointed.

The official further stated that allowing fans inside could cause an outbreak of the novel coronavirus. Although Australia has contained the virus effectively from wreaking havoc with a little over 7200 cases and 102 deaths, the BCCI official said that matches with spectators inside could still be “huge risk”.

“The presence of fans in the stadium is going to be a huge risk in a world event, especially on account of a longish incubation period of COVID-19 and the presence of asymptomatic carriers,” the official explained.

Meanwhile, the International Cricket Council (ICC) Board meeting on Wednesday kept the fate of this year’s T20 World Cup hanging as they dragged the matter until at least next month. The tournament, which is scheduled to be held in Australia from October 18 to November 15, has come under threat due to the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.