LONDON – As expected, Cricket Australia has scrapped a three-match Twenty20 series with West Indies scheduled for October.
The matches were expected to be part of both teams’ buildup to the T20 World Cup which had been scheduled for October 18 to November 15 but which has now been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Serving as warm-ups for the ICC T20 World Cup, the series will now coincide with the rescheduled T20 World Cup in Australia, in either 2021 or 2022,” said Cricket Australia.
Players from both sides hold lucrative Indian Premier League contracts and will now focus their energies on that campaign which is carded for September 19 to November 10 in the United Arab Emirates.
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, cricket authorities worldwide have been forced to juggle fixtures in an attempt to avoid having to abandon tournaments.
The IPL was originally scheduled to bowl off March 29 but was postponed after India was locked down due to the outbreak of COVID-19 there.
Once the International Cricket Council pulled the plug on the T20 World Cup, however, the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) seized the window to stage the IPL.
West Indies players who would have been involved in the T20 World Cup are poised to take part in the Caribbean Premier League which is now being staged in a secure “bubble” in Trinidad starting August 19.
The 33-match campaign wraps September 10, allowing several West Indies players to turn their attention to the IPL.
Cricket across the globe was brought to a halt in March following the COVID-19 outbreak which has so far infected 18.2 million people globally and caused nearly 700 000 deaths.
West Indies’ three-Test tour of England last month was the first international series to be played since the global lockdown started.
CMC
