T20 World Cup schedule under high risk: Kevin Roberts
Cricket Australia CEO Kevin Roberts believes the upcoming T20 World Cup is unlikely to be held this year, owing to the coronavirus pandemic. The 47-year-old reiterated the prospect of staging the mega ICC tournament is under "high risk". The T20 World Cup is scheduled to commence on October 18. However, the recent reports state the tournament will be deferred. Here is more.
"We have been hopeful all along that it could be staged in October-November but you would have to say there's a very high risk about the prospect of that happening," Cricket Australia chief executive Kevin Roberts said on Friday.
Roberts said the International Cricket Council (ICC) will decide the fate of the tournament. "If the event that doesn't happen, there are other potential windows in the following year," he said. He added, "And there are implications here for the ICC over a number of years. So there's a lot of complexity for the ICC to deal with."
Cricket Australia recently announced the full schedule for the 2020-21 season. The Aussies will lock horns with Zimbabwe in a three-match ODI series, starting August 9. That will be followed by T20I series against West Indies and India. Australia will also play their maiden Test against Afghanistan in Perth from November 21-25. Notably, it will be a D/N affair.
The four-Test series against India begins on December 3 in Brisbane. Adelaide Oval will host the pink-ball Test from December 11-15, while the third (December 26-30) and fourth (January 3-7) Test will be played at the MCG and SCG, respectively.
Roberts asserted the impending series will be heavily influenced by multiple scenarios. "It may be that circumstances dictate that when the time comes maybe we can only use one or two venues. There are endless scenarios and possibilities but we're very optimistic that we will be able to stage the Indian men's tour and the other inbound tours for the season," he concluded.
