Cricket’s T20 World Cup moved to the UAE and Oman

The devastating coronavirus wave that continues to batter India has left the Board for Control for Cricket (BCC) no choice but to shift the finals of the T20 tournament to the UAE and Oman in October-November in order to ensure the safety of the players and everyone involved.

It had already been announced at the end of last month that the ICC was to come to the UAE for the same reason.

India had hoped that the country would recover from this wave later down the line so that at least the World Cup finals could still take place there but unfortunately they’ve struck out of luck.

Voicing his frustration at the decision, an ICC senior board official who wishes to remain anonymous said:

“On June 28, if you say “yes” to holding the World T20 in India, how can you predict the health situation in October if there is a third wave,” he asked.

While the tournament is set to now take place in the UAE and Oman, a large portion of the ICC board members believe that India is just trying to bide their time in the hopes that the decision to move the T20 World Cup to the UAE can be reversed nearer the time.

“Yes, the BCCI, during the ICC board meeting, has formally asked for a four-week window to take a final call but, internally, they have said that they would like to keep the hosting rights and wouldn’t mind the tournament being held in UAE and Oman”.

Starting in the last week of October, The T20 tournament will be taking place in four different cities, Dubai, Sharjah and the capital city of the UAE, Abu Dhabi while the first week will be held in Muscat, capital of Oman.

According to the same ICC senior board official, Muscat will host the initial rounds of competition which will see a total of 16 teams participating as this grants the UAE ample time to polish up its cricket grounds after hosting 31 IPL games.