BCCI officials to visit Oman and Dubai for T20 World Cup preparations
The T20 World Cup 2021 was affected by the shadows of the Covid-19 pandemic owing to which it was shifted from India. Because of the uncertainty of the pandemic in India, the marquee event was scheduled to be staged in the UAE and Oman. However, it was decided that BCCI will remain the host of the tournament and thus the BCCI officials will now be leaving to Oman and Dubai on July 16 and 17 to discuss the pivotal issues.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has already confirmed that the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 will be staged in the UAE and Oman starting from October 17 to November 14. The matches will be played at the Dubai International Stadium, the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, the Sharjah Stadium, and the Oman Cricket Academy Ground. Ahead of this box office tournament, the BCCI officials will now visit the venues to make sure that things are in right place.
“We are going to Oman tomorrow, we will be visiting the venue and also will discuss the travel plan of teams as Qualifiers are to be held there, the day after tomorrow will be in Dubai to have a meeting with ICC. ECB officials will also be there. We do not want to leave any stone unturned due to the Covid-19 pandemic. That’s why everything will be taken care of Bio bubble, training, accommodation is some issues that need to be discussed. We Will also discuss whether media will be allowed or not,” said a source as reported by NDTV Sports.
ICC leaving no stone unturned for the smooth conduct of the T20 World Cup
The eight qualifying teams will be split into Oman and UAE for the first round of the World Cup. The four teams will further progress to the Super 12s round where they will join the eight automatic qualifiers. Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Netherlands, Scotland, Namibia, Oman, and Papua New Guinea are the eight teams that will battle it out in the preliminary stage.
This edition of the World Cup will thus be the first one since the 2016 Men’s T20 World Cup which was won by the West Indies. A lot goes into hosting a mega-event like the World Cup and thus the ICC will aim to leave no land unconquered.
“Our priority is to deliver the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 safely, in full, and in its current window. Whilst we are incredibly disappointed not to be hosting the event in India, the decision gives us the certainty we need to stage the event in a country that is a proven international host of multi-team events in a bio-secure environment. We will work closely with the BCCI, the Emirates Cricket Board, and Oman Cricket to ensure fans can enjoy a wonderful celebration of cricket.” said acting ICC CEO Geoff Allardice in a release.
