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'T20 World Cup can go to hell' - Shoaib Akhtar, Rashid Latif claim ICC deferred T20 WC for IPL 2020

WION Web Team
New Delhi, IndiaUpdated: Jul 22, 2020, 07:21 PM IST
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Photograph:(AFP)

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Former Pakistan cricketers Shoaib Akhtar and Rashid Latif have alleged that the ICC deliberately postponed the T20 World Cup to accommodate IPL 2020.

The postponement of the T20 World Cup 2020 by the ICC took social media by storm. The deferment of the showpiece event opened up a window for the highly-anticipated Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 with the BCCI working on the final details of the tournament with the cash-rich league set to be shifted to the UAE for this season. 

Former Pakistan cricketers Shoaib Akhtar and Rashid Latif have alleged that the ICC deliberately postponed the T20 World Cup to accommodate IPL 2020. Both Akhtar and Latif had predicted the postponement much before it was made official.

“Ultimately a powerful man, or a powerful cricket board they run the policy and they make sure that you suffer. T20 WC and Asia Cup could have been played this year, this was a chance for India and Pakistan to play against each other but they let it go. There are a lot of reasons behind this I don’t want to go into details," Akhtar told Geo Cricket.

“T20 WC could have been played but me and Rashid have said this repeatedly that they won’t let it happen, it won’t happen. IPL shouldn’t get damaged, the T20 World Cup can go to hell. India needs to save cricket immediately otherwise it won’t affect my era.

“The quality of cricket will decline but people will continue to make millions of dollars from the sport. Even the following will reduce just like it did in Pakistan after the 2017 Champions Trophy triumph,” the former Pakistan pacer added.
Whereas Latif said that the decision to postpone the T20 World Cup will benefit other cricket boards while questioning Ganguly’s statement on Asia Cup cancellation before it was made official. 

"Cricket boards around the world, be it India, Pakistan or England, they mostly look at the financial packages. All the boards are in this together, not just the BCCI alone. Everybody was in agreement with this decision, it's not just India who stand to benefit if the T20 World Cup didn't happen," said Latif.

"The T20 WC could have been played in February-March but it would have affected Pakistan (due to PSL 2020). Then in April-May the IPL was scheduled so the BCCI would have been affected, then in November-December Australia are supposed to host the Big Bash League. Everybody in the ICC benefits from this decision now. BCCI Sourav Ganguly announced beforehand that the Asia Cup had to be cancelled even before the official statement came out. Whether he was told by PCB boss Ehsan Mani or the Sri Lankan cricket board, all this was all pre-planned," he added.