Irfan Pathan makes a huge statement on the postponement of sports events due to COVID-19

Irfan Pathan has come forward and spoke about the postponement of the global sporting events due to the deadly COVID-19 that has put the entire world in a spot of bother. A couple of major events like the UEFA Euro Cup and the Tokyo Olympic Games have been postponed to 2021 while the French Open 2020 has been postponed from May to September. Coming to cricket, the bilateral ODI series between India and South Africa have been rescheduled at a later date while the ongoing edition of the IPL that was supposed to get underway on March 29 has been postponed to April 15.

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'Nothing is bigger than life': Irfan Pathan

During a recent interview, Pathan went on to say it is very important that all governments take proper measures and that the sporting activities should obviously be postponed as nothing is bigger than life. The veteran all-rounder also mentioned that just like the postponement of this edition of the IPL, everyone should consider the situation every month.

He also added that whether it is the governing body of world cricket International Cricket Council (ICC) or any national board, all organizations need to see the situation in Australia (the hosts of the ICC T20 World Cup 2020 in October-November) every three, four weeks and then take a decision.

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'On the same board with franchises': Arun Dhumal

Speaking to Republic World, BCCI Treasurer Arun Dhumal stated that the board will see the developments and accordingly take a decision on the IPL.

He said, "We are not even thinking about IPL. Will go ahead with whatever the government decides. We will see the developments and accordingly will take a decision."

Dhumal also reflected upon the opinion of the franchises and lauded Indian players for encouraging citizens to stay home and take all precautions. "We are all on the same board with IPL franchisee. We do not know how long the situation will be. As of now, till the time it is not safe to play cricket, we are not thinking about it. We have to see how the situation develops till April 15 how will take a call," said Dhumal. 

Furthermore, he added, "I am glad that likes of Sachin and Virat have given a message to the nation. Don't panic, stay at home, wash your hands. BCCI will continue to spread the right message."

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"Not even thinking about IPL"; BCCI hints at a possible cancellation amid COVID-19 crisis