ICC Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifiers Postponed Due To COVID-19

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has today announced the postponement of two further qualifying events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier and the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup Qualifier Europe Division 2. The coronavirus pandemic has largely affected global cricket.

The ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier was due to take place in Sri Lanka between 3 and 19 July, where three teams were to qualify for the 2021 event in New Zealand. The start of the journey to the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2022 was scheduled to begin with the European Regional Qualifier in Denmark between 24 and 30 July.

Now, major concerns arise on the timely conduction of the T20 World Cup which is scheduled to take place later this year in Australia.

ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifiers Postponed Due To COVID-19

ICC Head of Events, Chris Tetley said, “In light of the continuing travel restrictions, global health concerns and government and public health authority advice we have decided to postpone two further upcoming qualifying events due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier and the Europe qualifier to the U19 Cricket World Cup 2022 have both been impacted.”

“Our priority during this difficult period is to protect the well-being of players, coaches, officials, fans and the whole cricket community and we will take well-informed, responsible decisions in relation to both postponing events and resuming international cricket,” Tetley said.

“These are both important events with the Women’s CWC Qualifier one step away from New Zealand 2021 and the Europe qualifier which signifies the start of the U19 Cricket World Cup 2022 pathway. We will work in partnership with the Members to find an appropriate window to reschedule these events as soon as is safe and practical to do so. I would like to thank the Members for their cooperation and continued support,” Tetley further added.

Major Cricketing Events Come To A Hold After Coronavirus Outbreak

The sporting spectrum has also faced a lot due to the outbreak of the pandemic. Major cricketing action all across the globe has come to a standstill. India has also suffered a massive loss due to the rapid spread of the deadly virus, and the entire country has come to a grinding halt. India was in a 21-day national lockdown from March 25, and now the nation-wide lockdown has been extended until May 17.

Recently, the IPL 2020 was suspended indefinitely due to the coronavirus outbreak. To the disappointment of the cricket fans, the India-South Africa ODI series has also been called off. Apart from it, the Road Safety World Series has also been suspended.

The English board had decided to postpone the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka due to the coronavirus pandemic. The series was to be a part of the World Test Championship (WTC). All the English players playing in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) were called back immediately, and the tournament has been postponed.

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