The International Cricket Council will continue to plan for the staging of the men's T20 World Cup later this year as well as the Women's World Cup of 2021 with representatives of 12 full member playing countries as well as three associates reiterating their commitment to address the challenges posed by the Coronavirus pandemic.
The ICC, which hosted a Chief Executives' Committee meeting on Thursday, categorically stated that any decision on the futures of the complex - in scale - ICC tournaments will be taken based on well-informed decisions. The men's T20 World Cup scheduled to be played in Australia between October 18 and November 15 is under the scanner with COVID-19 forcing among other cancellations, the shutdown of Australia's international borders for a tentative period of six months.
"We will work in partnership for the best outcomes for the sport in relation to both ICC events and bilateral cricket," ICC CEO Manu Sawhney said after the meeting. "We agreed on the importance of taking well informed, responsible decisions in relation to the resumption of international cricket. The complexities involved in being able to stage ICC global events are extensive to ensure we protect the health and safety of everyone involved and they will be carefully considered before any decisions are arrived at in the best interests of the game."
Cricket Australia CEO Kevin Roberts added: "Cricket Australia is working closely with the ICC, the Local Organising Committee and the Australian government so we have a comprehensive understanding of exactly what it will take to be able to play the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2020 in October in Australia as planned.
"We are also jointly exploring all other options in relation to staging the event and will take the right decisions at the right time so we can host a wonderful celebration of the sport and keep everyone involved safe and well."
Dr Peter Harcourt, chair of the ICC Medical Committee, reiterated that the scale and complexity of getting cricket started again will not be underestimated. The ICC's next step with respect to planning for the mega event will involve drawing up a roadmap for the resumption of international cricket, including a checklist of things to be taken care of before resumption.
"This will consider everything from player preparation to government restrictions and advisories and bio-bubbles," Harcourt said. "The situation is rapidly evolving and full of significant risk as there is still a lot to learn about COVID-19 which can make decision making difficult. The ICC Medical Committee is working with Member medical representatives to build a comprehensive picture of the issues cricket is facing."
The CEC committee, which sought updates of the on-ground situation in each country, agreed that the disrupted FTP programme would need to be collectively reviewed through to 2023 with a view to rescheduling as much of the cricket that has been postponed due to COVID-19 as possible.
"Discussions and decisions on the future of both the World Test Championship and the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Super League will be held at a later date when there is a greater understanding of the impact of the cricket that has been lost on the competitions," the ICC stated in its release.
