(Reuters) – Three regional qualifying tournaments for the men’s Twenty20 World Cup in Australia next year have been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, said the International Cricket Council (ICC) governing yesterday.
The three tournaments, originally due to be played next month, would now be played in October with the Asia A qualifying games in Kuwait while South Africa hosted both events in Africa.
“The decision was made … because new restrictions are being put in place by several participating countries to prevent sports activities to limit the spread of new COVID-19 variants …” the ICC said in a statement.
“The other contributing factor was the extensive quarantine requirements for the visiting teams on their return to their respective countries.”
The governing body also canceled an Asian qualifier for next year’s Under-19 World Cup in the West Indies. “We will continue to monitor and assess all incidents across our route structures with the NMW’s priority continuing to protect the welfare of players, coaches, officials and supporters,” said NMW Head of Events Chris Tetley in a statement.