Organisers of the T20 World Cup in Australia are confident the tournament will be a success even if it has to run at the same time as other sports.
Delays due to the Coronavirus could see Australian rules football and rugby league all taking place later in the year. It means the T20 World Cup could be vying for viewers with those other sports in October and November. The tournament had previously been placed in the sporting calendar so it fell after the football season to boost the attention.
However, possible overlaps aren’t concerning organising committee CEO Nick Hockley.
“We really feel for the winter codes, obviously they're doing it very tough. In the event they have extended seasons we still think the World Cup is a really strong proposition that might not come here again for 10 or 20 years,” he said when speaking to the AAP.
“People love a World Cup. Cricket is Australia‘s national sport and T20 is the format that appeals to the broadest possible demographic.
“We're very encouraged already by the take up in terms of ticket sales.”
Organisers considering different scenarios
Organisers hope the tournament will continue where the Women’s World Cup left off but are also looking into a number of options if COVID-19 delays continue. The pandemic has already led to major sporting events, including cricket matches, being postponed.
The ICC has not announced any changes to plans and Hockley hopes it will stay that way with the competition still many months away.
He added: “We're wanting to give ourselves the best possible chance of going ahead as planned, so there's no imminent or quick decision.
“Hopefully it's all resolved and we go ahead. In the event that it isn't completely resolved, we are looking at all the different scenarios. Which is only prudent.
“There are collective discussions involving the organising committee, the ICC, all the members. We will keep everyone updated if anything changes. But for now, we're just under seven months away. We've got a bit of time.”
