Cricket: ICC Board Meet - Outcomes unlikely on T20 World Cup hosting, FTP 2023-31 cycle to be discussed

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will request an extension of one month to decide on the hosting of the ICC T20 World Cup in India amid the COVID-19 threat as the ICC Board holds a virtual meeting on Tuesday to discuss the host of other issues, including the Future Tour Programmes (FTP) for the next cycle of 2023-31.

While earlier it was reported that the BCCI president Sourav Ganguly will attend the meeting in person, the former Indian captain will now join the meet virtually as he is set to depart for the UAE on Wednesday to have discussions on the remainder of IPL 2021 with Emirates Cricket Board.

According to PTI, no concrete outcomes are expected from the ICC Board meeting with the BCCI set to hold another Special General Meeting (SGM) after July 1. The ICC is expected to make a final announcement on its decision during its annual conference, scheduled for July 18.

While the remainder of IPL 2021 has been moved to the UAE in the September 15-October 15 window, the BCCI will leave no stones unturned to host the global T20 tournament, which has UAE as backup hosts.

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"The COVID-19 cases are reducing but obviously it is still not a situation where we can firmly commit to hosting the World T20. Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah are right in asking for one month's time to decide," a senior BCCI source privy to developments told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

"Obviously, they will also get feedback from the government whether it would be prudent to host it in India.

"The second aspect is that you never know when the cases rise again. Right now, the lockdown in various parts of the country is yielding some good results but as we had seen the sudden surge during IPL, the situation remains fluid," he said.

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However, even if India hosts the T20 World Cup, the chances of nine cities hosting the tournament matches look bleak.

"If BCCI manages to host the tournament in October-November which is currently a 50-50 probability, it could well mean single city three venues in Mumbai along with Pune and Ahmedabad as venue for the final.

"This curtails travel. But Pakistan team playing in Maharashtra and Gujarat also needs to be factored in," the source said.