MUMBAI: There is clarity now on the “other venue” the International Cricket Council had alluded to when it announced on June 1 that the focus of its planning efforts for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 was on the event being staged in the UAE.
The ICC board had also confirmed at the time that the BCCI will remain the hosts of the event regardless of where the event is played.
So now, along with Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai, Muscat’s Al Amerat Stadium will in due course be confirmed as the fourth venue for this year’s T20 World Cup.
In a related development, a BCCI official has said that the remaining 31 Indian Premier League (IPL) matches will also be co-hosted by UAE and Oman. It will be the first time that the IPL will be held in UAE for two consecutive years.
“Yes, the BCCI, during the ICC board meeting, has formally asked for a four-week window to take a final call but, internally, they have said that they would like to keep the hosting rights and wouldn’t mind the tournament being held in UAE and Oman,” a senior board official, privy to ICC board developments, told PTI on the condition of anonymity.
“If the IPL finishes by October 10, then the UAE leg of World T20 can start off in November which would give three weeks’ time to the pitches to be spruced up for the global event. In the meanwhile, the first week can be held in Oman,” the BCCI official said.
Even as UAE was always the backup option for the BCCI to hold the ICC World T20I, Muscat has been added as the fourth venue to give sufficient time to the three UAE grounds to “freshen up” after the second half of the IPL.
“If IPL finishes by October 10, then the UAE leg of World T20 can start off in November which would give three weeks’ time to the pitches to be spruced up for the global event. In the meanwhile, the first week can be held in Oman,” said BCCI source told PTI.
