Dubai: The International Cricket Council (ICC) will consult the Australian government on going ahead with the Men's T20 World Cup 2020 in Australia.
The limited-overs World Cup is slated to be played from October 18 and November 15 at seven venues across Australia. As all sporting activities have been suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, it is likely that the event will get postponed.
However, ICC will take the final decision on this matter. This is one of the many issues likely to be discussed at the meeting of Chief Executives' Committee (CEC) via conference call on April 23.
"In relation to ICC events, including the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, we will continue to take advice from experts and authorities, including the Australian government. We will utilize all of the data and information available to us to ensure we can take responsible decisions around all competitions at an appropriate time that are in the best interests of our sport," Sawhney said.
The meeting, which will bring together the CEOs of 12 full members and three Associate Representatives, will provide an opportunity for the CEC to collectively consider the impact of the Covid19 pandemic on the sport, ICC said.
The purpose of the meeting is to gain a full understanding of member priorities during this time and to discuss and share the key mitigation factors required to resume international cricket based on government advice in each territory.
The CEC will discuss the approach to rescheduling postponed series and the need for collectively reviewing the Future Tours Programme (FTP) through 2023 as well as the World Test Championship (WTC) and Cricket World Cup Super League.
They will also receive an update on the continuing contingency planning for all ICC global events, including the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2020.
"This meeting is the first step of a collective process as we assess the impact of this ongoing global pandemic and work together so the sport can emerge from it in a strong position. We need to share knowledge and start to build a deep understanding of what it will take to resume international cricket," ICC Chief Executive Manu Sawhney said.
"The scale of this task should not be underestimated and will encompass a myriad of factors until the public health situation has improved to a point that it is safe for our players, our employees, our fans and in a way that will not impact the public health situation adversely," he added.
"Countries will start to reopen at different stages and in different ways and we will need to respect that and have a holistic view of this to enable us to take well-informed decisions that mitigate the various risks as much as possible," Sawhney further said.
