Australia's Big Bash League to go ahead in December
Wednesday 15 July 2020 08:36, UK
Cricket Australia has announced the Big Bash T20 competition will start on December 3, the same day as the first Test between Australia and India in Brisbane.
However, it is still to be decided whether the T20 World Cup, scheduled from October 18 to November 15 in Australia, will go ahead.
All international cricket was suspended in March because of the coronavirus lockdown, with Test cricket having only just resumed in England.
The 16-team T20 World Cup has a number of matches scheduled in Victoria state, where a spike in COVID-19 has resulted in a six-week lockdown in Melbourne.
The 10th season of Australia's Big Bash League is set to end on February 6, depending on the continuing pandemic. The first BBL night match will start at the Adelaide Oval just as play ends in the first Test at Brisbane.
Cricket Australia has several contingency plans in case of further coronavirus shutdowns.
"While we know that the challenging, fast-changing coronavirus pandemic could ultimately mean revisions to the schedule, there is nonetheless a lot to like about the way both competitions are shaping up," BBL head Alistair Dobson said.
Rule changes for this year's competition have yet to be finalised, with the most notable shift likely to be a player draft for international signings.
The last major international event staged in Australia before the coronavirus lockdown was the Women's T20 World Cup final in March, when Australia beat India in front of more than 86,000 spectators in Melbourne.
