The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is considering an option to host the 2021 men’s T20 World Cup in UAE as the South Asian country is battling with devastating second wave of COVID-19 pandemic with hospitals running out of oxygen for patients, it emerged on Saturday.
“I hope so. I am doing everything we can to make sure that it happens,” said Indian official Dhiraj Malhotra on the BBC’s Stumped podcast this week.
The tournament director for the T20 World Cup added, “We will be doing the normal scenario, COVID-scenario, worst-case scenario. All that we are in talks with the ICC at the moment”.
The international tournament is scheduled to be held in India between October and November this year.
The official revealed that the BCCI had an option of moving the World Cup to the UAE on cards if the International Cricket Council (ICC) says the country is unsafe due to COVID-19.
“It would be (the) UAE. And we are hoping it will again be done by BCCI – we will take the tournament there. So it will be still run by BCCI,” said Malhotra.
The ICC will take a decision about the venue of the World Cup after reviewing the coronavirus situation in India.
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