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Opinion

A T20 World Cup without fans?

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Roar Guru
5th May, 2020
9

A T20 World Cup without fans is becoming a distinct possibility in this current climate of pandemic.

COVID-19 is affecting us all around the world, and there’s no sign the pandemic will let up anytime soon. More to the point, host nation Australia isn’t looking to ease restrictions too quickly, focussing instead on keeping its curve flat.

With the Australian Prime Minister having warned the country to expect some level of disruption for six months, the men’s T20 World Cup could well be played without fans.

Many greats of the game have called for the tournament to be postponed. This would have other knock-on factors involving the IPL, which might want to use this window to play its tournament, though it’s unlikely.

One player in particular calling for a postponement is former Australian captain Allan Border, who said, “I just can’t imagine playing at empty stadiums, it defies belief”.

Sri Lankan fans.

(Jono Searle – CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images)

Moreover, he’s concerned players coming into Australia from other countries could cause major issues.

“Having teams, support staff and everyone else associated with the game wandering around the country, playing games of cricket, but you can’t let people into the grounds. I just can’t see it happening,” he said.

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Current player T20 star Glen Maxwell can’t imagine a World Cup without fans.

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“It’s going to be hard for us to justify having a World Cup when we can’t get people into the grounds. So, I can’t see it happening in the near future,” he Maxwell.

A T20 World Cup without fans is technically possible, but at what cost would it come for players? What about those close to retirement, like AB de Villers? He would miss out on the appreciation from the fans.

Further, a postponement of the tournament would cause only more uncertainty. If the tournament were to be postponed, when could it be played? The next T20 World Cup is scheduled for India next year. Will that have be pushed back for this year’s World Cup, and when would that in turn be able to be played? These are questions the ICC and Cricket Australia will need to answer soon. Other sporting codes need to have an idea, and they’re all hungrier than ever to play in any as soon as possible.

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But let’s get back to the topic: without fans it would be impossible to have a World Cup final similar to the one we had last year. Without fans it would just be plain weird. Yet having spectators at matches would go against what the authorities are telling us. Sports stars and fans are not immune to the virus.

This tournament is a jewel for the ICC, with the TV rights reportedly worth US$2 billion and millions of dollars more for Australia as a host nation. It could help the tourism industry, but Australia and the ICC will not reap rewards without fans.

Border also said that if the tournament went ahead without fans, the only would benefit would be to TV, which isn’t right. The men’s T20 World Cup was scheduled to start 18 October and run until 15 November. Only time will tell if the ICC can pull this off. What feat it would be!

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