Michael Holding okay with 'not cricket' IPL to be hosted in place of T20 World Cup in 2020

The coronavirus pandemic has jeopardized the commencement of the T20 World Cup that is supposed to take place in Australia later this year. There are a lot of conjectures surrounding the tournament's fate. Several cricketing pundits have had their say on the fate of the marquee event.  A few have even reckoned that the IPL 2020 should be hosted in place of the T20 World Cup. Now, former West Indies cricketer Michael Holding has had his say on the same.

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Michael Holding backs IPL 2020 if T20 World Cup is called off

Michael Holding has reckoned that replacing the T20 World Cup with the IPL is not what the ICC must be thinking of. However, if the T20 World Cup doesn’t go ahead as planned, the BCCI has the authority to push for the IPL during the October-November window. In an Instagram live session, Michael Holding said that ICC is not delaying the T20 World Cup because they are making space for the IPL.

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Michael Holding added that it’s the Australian government’s law where they are not allowing any visitors into the country before a specific date. Michael Holding also said that if there is no T20 World Cup, the BCCI has all rights to go ahead and organise a domestic tournament because they would not be encroaching on other country's tournaments.

Holding's comments come as a surprise in a way since he has not had many positive comments for the IPL over the years. In fact, in an interview with the 'Face of the IPL' Gaurav Kapur on Breakfast with Champions a few years ago, Holding compared IPL to global fast food chain McDonalds by stating that just because more people consume it, does not mean that it is right for the health of the game. In the same talk, he claimed that he was not in India for the IPL but on a holiday due to his wife and was waiting for the IPL to finish for 'real cricket' to begin.

Michael Holding also gave his opinion on the ICC’s decision to ban the use of saliva to shine the ball in wake of the coronavirus pandemic. He suggested that it’s not going to be that big an issue for bowlers to operate without it. According to him, the only obstacle is that he feels players may require an adequate amount of time to get used to the new rule.

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Michael Holding slams ICC World Test Championship

During a recent Wisden Cricket Monthly round table, Michael Holding slammed the ICC World Test Championship points table by describing it as “ridiculous”. He was of the opinion that teams playing five matches and two matches in a separate series cannot be rewarded with an equal number of points. Michael Holding further stated that there comes a stage in the ICC World Test Championship where certain teams get eliminated from qualifying for the final (scheduled for June 2021) but would still continue to play Test matches. Michael Holding termed those matches as not entertaining for fans who will look at them as “just another game”.

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IMAGE COURTESY: AP