T20 World Cup headed for cancellation amidst Australia lockdown rumours: Report

The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted normalcy and has brought the world to a standstill. All marque sporting events across the world have been suspended at the moment. The COVID-19 has put the entire world into a lockdown. Schools, colleges, malls, theatres, gyms, offices have also been shut down.

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T20 World Cup 2020 to be called off?

Cricket has been massively affected by the coronavirus pandemic as all international as well as domestic fixtures have been called off. The IPL 2020 was postponed to April 15 whereas the PSL 2020 knockouts were called off immediately. And it looks like the T20 World Cup that is scheduled to take place later this year in Australia might as well be affected by the coronavirus outbreak according to multiple media reports recently.

The T20 World Cup is scheduled to take place in October-November this year. There is still some time left for the T20 World Cup to go ahead but some leading stakeholders in the game have proposed to the ICC that the T20 World Cup should be postponed for now. Reports suggest that if the T20 World Cup is cancelled this year, it is unlikely to take place before 2022.

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If the T20 World Cup gets postponed, the question remains 'Until when'?  India will tour Australia in December. Early next year, Australia have their Big Bash League scheduled. According to sources, March would not be an ideal time to begin because the IPL 2021 is scheduled to be held in April. The broadcaster are unlikely to agree to back-to-back T20 events. India will also be hosting the 2021 T20 World Cup. As a result, the ideal choice is set to be 2022.

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Australia have reportedly shut down its international borders to the world until mid-September. In such a scenario, it will be extremely difficult for Australia to prepare for the T20 World Cup and cancellation looks like the only option going forward.

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IMAGE COURTESY: T20 WORLD CUP INSTAGRAM