Is Cricket Australia keener on hosting India than the T20 World Cup?
The coronavirus pandemic is bleeding cricket boards all over the world. With no possibility of play for a few more months, the boards are looking at a variety of ways and means to salvage their financial position. Some of them are cutting down on their expenses by laying off staff members.
Cricket Australia (CA), Australia's cricket board, is also in big trouble. They are scheduled to host the T20 World Cup later this year, along with a few other teams for bilateral series.
But are they giving more importance to the bilateral series than the T20 World Cup?
India's tour is expected to generate around $80 million, which is nearly 10 times more than the money CA would get from the ICC for hosting the T20 World Cup. Sources say that since the India tour has bigger money than the T20 World Cup, the Australian officials are prioritizing it over the multi-nation T20 extravaganza.
CA are reportedly keen on hosting the India series as they don’t want to lose out on the money from the broadcasters. They are even willing to host the matches behind closed doors so that the social distancing norms are not violated.
CA are evidently not losing sleep over the World T20 Championship, scheduled to be held from October 18 to November 15. That event looks like a non-starter at the moment, given how the pandemic is still raging on in most countries.
A day-night Test against Indian cricket team is the target
"CA is worried that some of the top Indian players may not been keen on undertaking a three-month-long tour Down Under. The players will have just come out of the pandemic, and being away from home for such a long period may not be favored by them,” a source said.
There are also reports that the day-night Test between India and Australia is being looked at as the big-ticket event of the series. That match, however, will likely have to be played behind closed doors.
Sources say that the CA is also in touch with its government for a full-fledged Indian series replete with all safety measures.
"After all, the money is bigger for CA in the Indian series than in hosting the T20 World Cup. It's just a matter of time when these decisions are taken formally, after things are brought under control," the source added.