The T20 World Cup is on course to be staged in Australia this year – but for how long will that remain the case?

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Teams from across the globe are scheduled to play their games between October and November 2020, but the coronavirus pandemic has of course cast doubt over the ability for the tournament to be staged.

Most sports events have been cancelled until June with a steady trickle of matches from a variety of sports preparing to go ahead behind closed doors, but what does it all mean for the T20 World Cup?

Check out the latest news on whether the T20 World Cup will go ahead as planned.

Will the T20 World Cup be cancelled or postponed?

The T20 World Cup is still months away, and with the pandemic peak having already passed, it has a far greater chance of going ahead than many competitions that have already been nudged back or binned.

Organisers will of course be desperate for the tournament to go ahead, but two key factors will determine whether that is possible:

  1. Can teams travel to Australia? A current story in Australia is whether or not travel restrictions should be lifted yet. Right now, the borders are closed, and that raises obvious concerns. Arguably the greater concern is for competing nations who are wrestling with their own border concerns. Each and every country must be confident that they can deploy their team to Oceania without posing a risk to the health of themselves or Australia.
  2. Will fans be able to attend? The bigger question mark lingers over whether fans will be allowed into stadiums by then. Mass gatherings have been largely discouraged around the entire sporting world, and for a tournament that will rely on ticket sales, having fans in the stadium is crucial.

When will a decision be made?

A vital ICC meeting is scheduled to take place on Thursday 28th May. A decision is not confirmed yet, and a final one may not be imminent, but the meeting is at least likely to provide options of moving forward.

When is the T20 World Cup?

The tournament is due to be held between 18th October and 15th November 2020.

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Which teams are in the T20 World Cup?

  • Australia
  • Pakistan
  • India
  • England
  • South Africa
  • New Zealand
  • West Indies
  • Afghanistan
  • Sri Lanka
  • Bangladesh
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Netherlands
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Ireland
  • Namibia
  • Scotland
  • Oman

Authors

Michael PottsSport Editor

Michael Potts is the Sport Editor for Radio Times, covering all of the biggest sporting events across the globe with previews, features, interviews and more. He has worked for Radio Times since 2019 and previously worked on the sport desk at Express.co.uk after starting his career writing features for What Culture. He achieved a first-class degree in Sports Journalism in 2014.

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