Oman in contention to co-host ICC T20 World Cup 2021: Report

BCCI will retain their hosting rights irrespective of where the T20 World Cup is played.

UAE and Oman are likely to host the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021 | ICC/TwitterWith the second COVID-19 wave wreaking havoc in India, it has become immensely challenging to stage the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 in the country, slated to be held in October-November.

While ICC has already shortlisted UAE as the backup venue for the marquee event, Oman has also emerged as a potential co-host.

According to a Cricbuzz report, Oman Cricket officials, including its head Pankaj Khimji, have had a meeting with the BCCI office-bearers in Dubai recently.

The report further claims that capital city Muscat has been offered to host the first-round matches, with Oman featuring as one of the sides in the 16-team competition.

Meanwhile, an ICC Director confirmed to Cricbuzz that the idea was "definitely suggested" during the Executive Board meeting although nothing has been finalized yet.

After its board meeting on June 1, ICC had stated that Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah will be hosting the matches if the tournament gets moved out of India while the governing body was on the lookout for another venue.

ICC had also clarified that the BCCI will retain their hosting rights irrespective of where the event is played.

Notably, Oman has two grounds and both of them are approved by the ICC. In fact, the Oman Cricket Academy Ground 1 was due to host a Test between Afghanistan and Zimbabwe earlier this year but it couldn’t take place because of the latter’s refusal to travel.

(Inputs from Cricbuzz)

 
 

By Salman Anjum - 06 Jun, 2021

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