The ICC has postponed the 2020 men's T20 World Cup by a year due the Covid-19 pandemic. The decision to put off the tournament, which was originally scheduled to be held in Australia between October 18 and November 15, was taken by the ICC Board on Monday.

The 2020 edition of the tournament will now be pushed back to October-November 2021, with the final on November 14, 2021, while the 2021 edition - due to be held in India - will now be played in October-November 2022, with the final on November 13, 2022. The 2023 ODI World Cup, meanwhile, will be held in October-November 2023, with the final on November 26.

The announcement isn't a surprise given that Cricket Australia had reiterated more than once that it was going to be difficult to host the tournament during the pandemic with 16 teams taking part. After the then CA chief executive Kevin Roberts had said in May that it was a "very high risk" to conduct the tournament, the CA chairman Earl Eddings echoed that pessimism in June, saying it was "unlikely" and "unrealistic" when the pandemic was "spiking" worldwide.

Australia has been relatively less affected by Covid-19 than most countries, with 3026 active cases as on Monday, but Melbourne and surrounding areas are currently back in lockdown and cases are rising in New South Wales amid concerns over a second wave. International borders, and quite a few state borders, remain closed other than for special cases.

With some of the participating countries including India, South Africa and Pakistan among the most severely affected by the pandemic, the risks of bringing together 16 teams from around the world and creating a bio-secure bubble are seen as too high.

On May 27, the ICC said in a media release that reports of "a postponement" of the T20 World Cup "are inaccurate and planning for the event continues whilst a number of contingency plans are being explored". The ICC Board has met several times since April to discuss contingency planning and was meant to make a final decision on the T20 World Cup during a meeting on June 10, but eventually deferred the call. Monday's Board meeting was attended by all the directors including the global body's interim chairman Imran Khawaja and BCCI president Sourav Ganguly.