Hoping T20 WC, Asia Cup happen on time: Mahmudullah

Dhaka, June 13 (IANS) Bangladesh T20 skipper Mahmudullah Riyad remains hopeful that ‘prestigious tournaments’ like T20 World Cup and Asia Cup will go on as per schedule despite the ongoing coronavirus crisis that continues to create havoc around the world.

The T20 World Cup is currently scheduled to be played in Australia later this year but the ICC in its board meeting on Wednesday decided to ‘wait and watch’ before deciding on the fate of the 2020 edition of the showpiece event.

“We are still unsure about the Asia Cup T20 and T20 World Cup because there are still a lot of things to be measured and a lot of decisions to be made regarding the tournaments,” Mahmudullah was quoted as saying by New Age on Friday.

“We are still waiting for the green signal from ICC. But if you ask me, I am very much up for it and I think every cricketer wants to be part of such tournaments like Asia Cup and T20 World Cup.

“I hope the tournaments would happen on time. If not then we could still wait a bit longer. But we want to play in these tournaments as they are highly prestigious,” the 34-year-old added.

The fate of T20 World Cup has been under the scanner which has seen the ICC and CA work overtime to try and ensure that the tournament is held as per schedule – October 18 to November 15.

“The situation surrounding the global pandemic is evolving rapidly and we want to give ourselves the best possible opportunity to make the right decision for the whole sport. The health and well-being of everyone involved is our priority and other considerations fall out from that,” Chief Executive Manu Sawhney was quoted as saying in the ICC release.

“We will only get one chance to make this decision and it needs to be the right one and as such we will continue to consult with our members, broadcasters, partners, governments and players and to ensure that we make a well informed decision.”

–IANS

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