Why no t20 world cup in 2018
The World Twenty20, popularly known as the T20 world cup, is one of the most exciting events in the sport of cricket. It features 16 teams from around the globe who compete in a fast-paced match format designed to produce high scoring games and thrilling finishes. Fans eagerly anticipate each edition of this competition. However, many were left perplexed when no T20 world cup was held in 2018. Understanding why there was no such event requires a look at how international cricket tournaments are organized.
The Organization of International Cricket
International cricket competitions are governed by the International Cricket Council (ICC). The ICC decides on the hosts of future tournaments and provides guidelines for these matches. They also create an international fixtures calendar, outlining when and where global tournaments will take place.
Cricket has three major formats: Test Matches, One Day Internationals (ODIs), and Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is). Each format has its own world cup – the ICC Cricket World Cup for ODIs, the T20 World Cup for T20Is, and now newly introduced World Test Championship for test matches.
Although these three tournaments represent cricket’s pinnacle at an international level, they are not all played equally often. For example, while there is a ODI World Cup every four years just like with FIFA’s football world cup, the frequency of other tournaments differs.
Schedule of Major ICC Competitions
When it comes to scheduling these tournaments, consistency hasn’t always been ICC’s strong suit. Since its inception in 2007, the T20 World Cup has not followed a fixed cycle like other sports events do. Its timetable had varied irregularities – two editions within six months in 2009 and 2010, then a gap of almost two years between 2010 and 2012 editions.
However, after much deliberation over fixture congestion issues raised by member boards and players, the ICC introduced a new international calendar in 2014. According to this plan, T20 World Cup would occur every two years from 2016 until 2020, and then shift to four-year cycle post-2020.
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No T20 World Cup in 2018 Due to New Cycle
This brings us back to the question at hand: why was there no T20 world cup in 2018? Simply put, it fell into the period where ICC was transitioning from biennial to quadrennial for its T20 tournament.
The first edition under this new plan took place in India in 2016 as scheduled. But instead of hosting another one two years later in 2018, It announced that the next tournament would be held in Australia after four years i.e., in October-November 2020.
In essence, ICC extended timeframe between T20 World Cups to pave way towards finally shifting to four-year cycle from the institute’s previous practice of running biennial championships.
The Impact on Cricket
News of transition received mixed reviews from fans across globe. Many worshippers of shorter cricket formats were disappointed with idea of having less frequent T20 – an explosive and thrilling variant which had done so much for globalizing game.
On other side, many veteran cricketers and analysts wholeheartedly welcomed decision praising benefit of reducing fixture overload for top-level teams currently participating in myriad national leagues, bilateral series and ICC tournaments.
As International Cricket moves forward post-pandemic era following their revised Future Tours Programme (FTP), focus remains on preserving a balanced schedule respecting all three match formats. The rescheduling and stalling has been challenging due to uncertain times but confirmed future edition hosts are indicative of clear watching days ahead for cricket enthusiasts worldwide.
While reasoned rationale behind decision can comfort curious itch now as we understand sequence behind lack of T20 World Cup in 2018, nothing beats excitement of a live ongoing cricket tournament. Cricket fans now look forward to future editions with enhanced fervour!
