June 6, 2021
2 mins read

Oman Cricket in talks with BCCI to host T20 WC matches

Oman is one of 16 participating nations at this year’s T20 World Cup and cricket in the country is run entirely by a business conglomerate…reports Asian Lite News

International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) are in talks with Oman Cricket over hosting of some of the T20 World Cup matches later this year in the gulf nation, a top Oman Cricket official has confirmed.

The ICC had, earlier this week, given BCCI a month’s time to show its readiness to host the tournament in October-November. With India’s chances to host it unlikely due to an expected third wave of Covid-19 pandemic, and things not improving drastically over the last few days, the world body has started to look at a venue besides United Arab Emirates (UAE) which is already on standby.

“We have been approached by ICC and the chairman of Oman Cricket, Pankaj Khimji, is in talks with the BCCI which is due to host the tournament,” Madhu Jesrani, the Oman Cricket secretary, said from Muscat.

“The talks with BCCI have just started. The ICC asked us for certain things that they are looking at in a hosting venue and we have given them the details. We have told them that we are ready. We have two turf pitch grounds, including one with floodlights,” added Jesrani.

Oman is one of 16 participating nations at this year’s T20 World Cup and cricket in the country is run entirely by a business conglomerate, Khimji Ramdas, which is an Indian-origin business family.

Jesrani said both the grounds are inside Muscat.

“The Al Amerat Cricket Stadium has floodlights and it is 15-20 km from the airport,” he added.

The ground was established in 2012 and has hosted ICC’s lower-division matches.

The BCCI has already announced that the remaining Indian Premier League (IPL) matches will be held in the UAE from mid-September to mid-October, which is the time when the T20 World Cup will start.

While there are concerns the pitches at the three UAE venues won’t last two tournaments (76 matches in total), the burden would be eased by shifting some games to another country like Oman.

On Tuesday, the ICC issued a statement saying, “The ICC Board has requested management [to] focus its planning efforts for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 on the event being staged in the UAE with the possibility of including another venue in the Middle East.”

Jesrani says they will wait until June 28 when ICC’s deadline to BCCI expires.

“We are waiting till June 28 when the ICC deadline ends and a final decision will be made,” he said.

ALSO READ: Russian Fm due in Saudi, Qatar

Previous Story

UK Minister warns against ‘Delta’ variant

Next Story

UAE expands clean energy sector in record time

Latest from Arab News

Iran thanks Indians for support

Embassy in New Delhi thanked citizens, political parties, and activists as Iran reels from Israeli-US strikes on nuclear sites The Iranian Embassy in India has publicly thanked Indian citizens and institutions for

Trump Lashes Out Over Fragile Truce

Trump mentioned that both countries “violated” the ceasefire that was announced late Monday….reports Asian Lite News US President Donald Trump on Tuesday issued a stern warning to both Israel and Iran, accusing

No Ceasefire Deal, Says Tehran

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says no “agreement” on ceasefire between Israel and Iran…reports Asian Lite News Uncertainty and scepticism mounted on Monday after a surprise ceasefire announcement by the United States,

War on Children Worsens, Says UN

The new high surpassed 2023, another record year, which itself represented a 21 per cent increase over the preceding year….reports Asian Lite News Violence against children in conflict zones soared to record

Trump to Weigh Iran Action Soon

Trump approved attack plans on Iran on Tuesday night, but held off making a final decision…reports Asian Lite News US President Donald Trump will make a decision on whether he will order
Go toTop

Don't Miss

Broad Tips India as Strong Contenders For World Cup

Broad, who played 2011 Men’s ODI World Cup, feels England,

Oman, India explore new areas of cooperation

The India-Oman Strategic Consultative Group meeting is an important forum