ICC to Take Final Call on Venue of 2021 T20 World Cup on 1 June
India could be hit by a third wave of COVID-19 and hosting the T20 WC amid such uncertainty looks a long shot.
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The T20 World Cup could potentially be moved out of India and a final verdict is expected to come out of the Executive Board meeting of the International Cricket Council (ICC) on 1 June, reported Cricbuzz. That BCCI's Special General Meeting (SGM) is scheduled on 29 May, a couple of days before the ICC congregates, is not merely coincidental. It is a strategic move as the board would have arrived to a general consensus before attending the ICC conclave.
With the suspension of IPL 2021 owing to the ferocious second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping across India, the BCCI has fallen behind in the pecking order to host the 16-team T20 World Cup in October-November and hence, UAE is being mulled upon as an alternate venue. India is presumably on the verge of being hit by a third wave of the deadly virus by September. The health authorities have already been asked to ramp up their preparation for the worst-case scenario by experts and organising the marquee event in the country amid such uncertainty does look like a long shot.
"The case numbers are dropping and we do not think that it will take a U-turn again, and this is after we are testing everyone we can. But we are preparing ourselves for the third wave, if any, by having more jumbo field hospitals," Mumbai Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Chahal recently pointed out the possibility of a third wave. Many ministers and scientists are also taking account of a third wave and chalking out measures to avert it.
"The ICC is not unaware of the situation but one cannot speculate on what will be the decision on 1 June. One has to wait and see," said an informed source on the likelihood of shifting the tournament to UAE, which is a part of BCCI’s contingency plans for the T20 WC.
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