Australia’s limited-overs captain Aaron Finch believes cricket boards across the world will have to compromise and make a big effort to get the sport back on track following the coronavirus hiatus.
There are speculations that the thirteenth season of the Indian Premier League, which was suspended indefinitely due to the Covid-19 pandemic, might be conducted in October-November at the expense of the T20 World Cup in Australia.
Finch, who is on the board of Australian players’ union, said and all stakeholders have to make compromises to get cricket to thrive again.
“It will get to a point, not just for IPL but for all cricket, there’ll be a compromise from a lot of different stakeholders organisations, countries, players, the ICC to get cricket back and countries thriving again,” Finch told Sydney Morning Herald.
“I think the ICC are meeting next week to start discussing the FTP [Future Tours Program] again. The next couple of weeks we’ll have more idea what that looks like, what compromises will be made for different tournaments and countries.”
Stakes are high for Australia as India is also scheduled to tour Down Under for a Test and ODI series with $300 million riding on it.
Former Australian skipper Allan Border felt IPL should not be prioritised over the T20 World Cup, while Ian Chappell urged top cricketers to put domestic competitions like the Sheffield Shield and One-Day Cup first.
“Everyone is working together to get the best result for everyone... Some situations where it’s not ideal for Australia we have to compromise and give. It will be one big effort, I think,” the 33-year-old said.
“With India coming out here this summer, Kevin Roberts [CA CEO Roberts] said it was a nine out of 10 [chance]. I think there will be give and take in a lot of different things like that.”
Australia is likely to resume cricket with a limited-overs series in England after their Bangladesh tour was postponed due to the global health crisis. England has been one of the most affected countries with over 36,000 Covid-19 deaths.
However, Finch said he has no concerns about playing in the UK as they would be staying in a bio-secure environment and would be able to train during the 14-day quarantine period. “I’d be super excited to get any cricket back if it’s international cricket all the better,” Finch said.
“If it’s done really well with the quarantine bubble and regular testing, I don’t see it being an issue. I’d be keen to get back playing as soon as possible.”