MUMBAI: The steady drop in the Covid-19 case load across the country has given fresh hope for the men who matter in the Board of Control for Cricket in India that the T20 World Cup could still be host hosted in the country rather than have it played out in the UAE, which is the prevailing sentiment within the International Cricket Council.
The BCCI’s optimism stems from the decreasing number of official (emphasis ours) Covid-19 cases in the country, the vaccination process which is expected to gather steam in the coming months and the gradual opening up of the economy.
In any case, the ICC has set a June 28 deadline for the BCCI to communicate its intentions. The BCCI brass will meet in Mumbai later this week to discuss and chalk out their course of action, The Telegraph reports.
Sources told the daily that the number of venues would be cut down to six/seven from the initially proposed nine. While the three venues in Mumbai along with Pune have been shortlisted, the semi-finals and final will be held in Ahmedabad. The other venues will be agreed upon keeping in mind the bio-bubble restrictions and the “Pakistan factor” (read the BCCI will have to “bow to public sentiment” more at some venues than others).
Be that as it may, SportzPower’s considered opinion is that with what happened with the Indian Premier League earlier this year still fresh, this is still way too high a number. If the T20 World Cup is to be hosted in India, the safest option would be to play out the mega event across three venues in Mumbai, is how this platform views a best case scenario.
Meanwhile, there is also a proposal to allow crowds in limited numbers into the stadium during the T20 World Cup, said sources told The Telegraph. All such matters will be discussed in detail when the BCCI officials meet in Mumbai.
As per The Telegraph, in case there is a surge in the number of cases leading up to the tournament in October, the BCCI feels it can always shift it to the UAE at short notice, and there will be no problem with logistics.
Said BCCI source told the daily: “All around the world sport is happening amid the pandemic.
“The Olympics is set to take place in Tokyo despite reservations in certain quarters, the Euro Championships are on despite several parts of Europe still not being considered safe, the Copa America is to begin in Brazil in the face of Covid-19 concerns… So why can’t the T20 World Cup be held here if the numbers are within limits.”
