Deadline looming for 2021 ODI World Cup decision

A decision on the future of the 2021 Women’s ODI World Cup will be made in the next fortnight, New Zealand Cricket have confirmed.

The International Cricket Council on Monday announced the men’s 2020 T20 World Cup, due to be held in Australia this October and November, had officially been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

But the future of the women’s 50-over event, due to be played in New Zealand from February 6 to March 6 next year, remained less clear, with the ICC stating it would "continue to evaluate the situation" as planning for the event continued as scheduled.

New Zealand Cricket chair Greg Barclay clarified that timeline on Tuesday, telling Radio NZ a call would be made imminently.

"The decision will be made in the next two weeks, it simply has to be because if there is a need to postpone that event then obviously we need to know that sooner rather than later," Barclay said.

"Likewise, if it is to go ahead then we need to make a final decision so that we can throw all the resources necessary to run a first-class world event in February."

New Zealand’s success in eliminating community spread of the novel coronavirus, and the smaller scale of the eight-team event compared to the 16-team men’s T20 event postponed in Australia, has raised hopes the 50-over tournament can proceed as planned.

Large crowds have already returned to sporting events in the country, meaning full grounds would be on the cards for World Cup matches scheduled at Auckland’s Eden Park, Tauranga’s Bay Oval, Wellington’s The Basin, Christchurch’s Hagley Oval and University Oval in Dunedin.

However, several questions hang over the event – not least of all the cost and logistical implications of getting seven teams into New Zealand during a global pandemic, although Barclay was cautiously optimistic those hurdles were "surmountable", noting the New Zealand government was supportive of the event going ahead.

"How do you get teams travelling around the world, they've got to hub through other countries and so what are the implications of that, and then getting them through the quarantine restrictions that may be in place," Barclay said.

"And of course, all of that comes with a cost and so there are budgetary implications heading into February."

Uncertainty also remains over the qualification process, with just five teams confirmed for the event – hosts New Zealand alongside Australia, England, South Africa and India.

The qualifying event due to be played in Sri Lanka this month was been postponed indefinitely.

One option could see the remaining three teams who make up the ICC Women’s ODI Championship – the four-year, round-robin competition that determines early World Cup qualification – automatically round out the field.

That would see Sri Lanka, Pakistan and West Indies advance, rather than needing to book a spot via a qualifying event featuring seven other teams including Bangladesh and Ireland.

Another question is whether the worsening pandemic in countries including India and Pakistan would severely curtail their ability to prepare for the tournament, putting them at a distinct disadvantage to their rivals.

India, who finished runners-up to Australia in the T20 World Cup earlier this year, had been slated to travel to theUnited Kingdom in September to meet England and South Africa in a tri-series, but reports emerged on Monday they were set to pull out of the trip due to the country’s COVID-19 crisis.

England and South Africa will instead meet in a yet-to-be-determined number of ODIs and T20Is.

Australia are due to host New Zealand in both limited-overs formats from late September, and India for three ODIs in January, but no other women’s international cricket is currently scheduled.

If the World Cup is postponed, it will raise one immediate concern for the Australian women – their coach, Matthew Mott, is currently only contracted through to the scheduled end of the 2021 event.

It could also impact the 2022 T20 World Cup, to be hosted by South Africa. No dates have been announced for that event, but it is likely to be held early in the year.