Will any decision come out of the ICC meeting to decide fate on World T20?

The International Cricket Council (ICC) will hold a special meeting on June 1. The main point in the agenda will be about the fate of the ICC World T20. The BCCI wanted the ICC to take more time about the fate of the ICC World T20 in India in their SGM. The tournament, which was initially postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, was thrown into further doubt after the second surge of the coronavirus in India in April-May.

The BCCI press release on the IPL was a poor attempt to ‘mask’ the situation. If they had admitted that IPL 2021 was shifted to the UAE due to the pandemic, it would have meant that their chances of hosting the tournament would have also been affected. By suggesting to the ICC that they take one more month to decide on the venue for the ICC World T20, this is a practice in time management.

At the end of the day, the BCCI would want two things. One, ensure that coronavirus is not the determining factor in postponing the event. Second, a ray of hope that the ICC takes some more time in not announcing the venue for the marquee event.

BCCI battling logistics

The BCCI may have announced that IPL 2021 will take place in the UAE. But, in a smart move, they have not announced the dates. The BCCI is expecting certain things will fall into place for them. The main concerns is the small window in September-October. The Tests against England end on September 14 while the ICC World T20 begins in mid-October.

With all the quarantine rules and bio-bubble protocols, it would be impossible for the IPL to begin in the UAE within 2-3 days after the end of the tour of England. They might start one week after the England Tests end. But, they will have to contend with international commitments as well. Australia and England will be preparing for the ICC World T20 as well as the Ashes. England will honour their commitments in Bangladesh and Pakistan while Australia will also tour Bangladesh.

In addition, the Caribbean players might not be available until September 19 for the CPL. The Windies Board might not have a window to reschedule the CPL as South Africa, Australia and Pakistan will visit them.

Can nine cities host ICC World T20?

Initially, nine cities were named in the ICC World T20 2021 schedule to host the matches. However, the coronavirus situation has shown that playing the tournament in multiple cities can be dangerous. The IPL 2021 could not maintain bio-bubbles when it travelled to four cities. With an increased number, the ICC might struggle to have confidence in the Indian Board over the execution of the event.

The coronavirus situation in India currently is registering slight improvement. The daily active caseloads has decreased to 150,000 per day, the lowest in 44 days. Yet, it is still a high number. There is a possibility of a third wave around August-September. With vaccination rates playing catch-up to demand and supply, the race to avoid the third wave might be close.

The ICC might not take any major decision on Tuesday. The ICC World T20 status quo might remain for the time-being. The UAE is the back-up venue in case the coronavirus situation does not improve in India. However, the BCCI will have to first figure out how to conduct the IPL in such a small window. It will also have to figure out the venues and logstics of the bio-bubble in case the ICC World T20 stays in India.