Cricket: ICC postpones 2020 T20 World Cup, Women's World Cup in New Zealand unchanged

This year's Twenty20 World Cup in Australia has become a high-profile casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The sport's governing body - International Cricket Council (ICC) - has postponed the tournament scheduled for October-November.

But the ICC has resisted shifting the Women's World Cup, scheduled to take place in New Zealand next February.

The ICC has explored contingency plans since host Cricket Australia (CA) acknowledged the logistical challenges in staging a 16-team tournament amid travel and other restrictions this year.

Consequently, back-to-back men's T20 World Cups will take place in 2021 and 2022, before the 50-over World Cup in India in 2023.

"The decision... was taken after careful consideration of all of the options available to us, and gives us the best possible opportunity of delivering two safe and successful T20 World Cups for fans around the world," ICC chief executive Manu Sawhney says. 

India was originally scheduled to host the 2021 edition of the Twenty20 World Cup.

The ICC did not specify the hosting order and a spokesman has told Reuters the governing body is yet to finalise who will host which edition between India and Australia.

The powerful Indian cricket board (BCCI) is keen to stage the 2021 edition to avoid hosting back-to-back ICC events in 2022 and 2023.

The BCCI has resented the uncertainty around this year's World Cup, which it feels created a scheduling headache for the cricket boards already bruised by the pandemic's financial impact.

The BCCI has also been open about its plans to stage a delayed Indian Premier League T20 competition in the now-vacant October-November slot.

"Our members now have the clarity they need around event windows to enable them to reschedule lost bilateral and domestic cricket," Sawhney says.

The ICC also moved the 2023 one-day World Cup in India from its original February-March slot to an October-November window.

"Moving the World Cup to a later window... gives us a better chance of maintaining the integrity of the qualification process," Sawhney adds.

"This additional time will be used to reschedule games that might be lost because of the pandemic, ensuring qualification can be decided on the field of play."

The ICC will continue to evaluate the situation, while preparing for the 2021 women's 50-over World Cup, scheduled from New Zealand from February 6.