In addition to this, a few games in the first phase of the tournament could be held in Oman. BCCI President Sourav Ganguly said that it is due to the safety and well-being of the players and organisers that the tournament has been shifted out of India.
The BCCI has officially confirmed that ICC Men’s T20 World 2021 will be held in the United Arab Emirates. However, despite the shift, BCCI retains the hosting rights of the showpiece event.
The BCCI President Sourav Ganguly sent out an email to all the member associations to confirm the news. He stated that the call has been taken keeping in mind the ‘safety and well-being of the players and organisers.
“It was not an easy decision and we mulled over it for months, constantly keeping an eye on the Covid-19 situation all along. However, with the second wave causing such devastation, the decision ultimately boiled down to the safety and well-being of the players and organisers.
Although vaccination in the country is going at breakneck speed, there are reports of a third wave and different variants which we cannot ignore,”
Sourav wrote.
The ICC will make the official announcement of the shift soon. The T2 World Cup returns after a gap of five years. It was last held in India in 2016, and Australia were supposed to hold the 2020 edition. However, that was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Australia will now host the event in 2022.
The 2021 edition is scheduled to start on October 17. The schedule of the tournament and the venues are being finalised. As per ESPNCricinfo, the first round could be held in UAE and Oman.
Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Ireland, Netherlands, Scotland, Namibia, Oman and Papua New Guinea are the teams that will compete in the first round. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the Super 12s, which is set to start on October 24.
The Super 12s phase will be played in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. This will be followed by the semi-finals and the final, with the latter being played on November 14.
