Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has vowed not to support any move from the International Cricket Committee (ICC) to reschedule the T20 World Cup 2020 to provide a window for staging the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) later this year. PCB has asserted that ICC should be prioritising the international showpiece event over IPL.
IPL 2020 currently stands postponed indefinitely in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, which has disrupted the entire sporting calendar. However, BCCI is keen to host the tournament and is likely to agree on a solution with the ICC for a window later this year. Several media reports have claimed that ICC might reschedule the T20 World Cup to 2022 to accommodate IPL in October this year.
“We are in May and there is still time. The ICC members should wait and see where this Coronavirus pandemic goes. A decision on staging the event can be taken even after say two months,” a PCB official was quoted as saying by PTI.
“There is no cricket being played right now but in two months’ time we will know what is the position because West Indies and Pakistan are to play in England if things go according to plan,” he added.
PCB feels ICC should not give preference to IPL over bilateral tournaments and ICC events.
“The IPL is a domestic event of the BCCI and cannot be given preference over ICC events or bilateral agreements. Pakistan will not support any such move,” a source was quoted as saying by PTI.