Every sporting activity in the world has to come to a sudden halt owing to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the global pandemic, doubts have started to hover over the T20 World Cup which was scheduled in Australia from October 18 – November 15. India is supposed to host the next edition in 2021.
Meanwhile, former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar says that India can swap the T20 World Cup with Australia and host it in the on-going year instead of the scheduled 2021 edition, provided the novel coronavirus curve flattens in the country. In a recent interview, Gavaskar said, “As we all know, Australia has barred foreigners from entering the country till September 30. The tournament starts mid-October so it is looking difficult at the moment.”
He further added, “Next year the T20 World Cup is in India. If India and Australia come to an agreement and the COVID-19 curve in India flattens out, they can swap. It can be held in India this October-November and next year in Australia around the same time.”
The coronavirus pandemic has also forced the IPL 2020 to be indefinitely postponed but there are speculations of it being held in the September window.
Gavaskar also said, “If it (T20 WC swap) happens that way, IPL is just held prior to T20 World Cup so there is enough practice for the players. Then you can have the T20 World Cup in November and Asia Cup in December in UAE. December is a much better time to host a tournament in the UAE.”
Apart from IPL and T20 World Cup, there are also speculations about the Asia Cup 2020 being postponed as Pakistan who was to host the tournament has also been adversely affected by the coronavirus pandemic. But as India has refrained from playing in Pakistan because of the political tension between the neighbouring countries, there is a possibility of Asia Cup in UAE.