Daily Times

DUBAI: Teams at senior ICC events, starting with the 2021 T20 World Cup, will be allowed to take up to seven additional players or support staff, as part of the governing body’s ongoing response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Last year, the ICC brought in a squad limit of 23 –– comprising 15 players and up to eight staff ––- for senior men’s and women’s tournaments, and 20 for junior events. Countries competing at the T20 World Cup later this year, as well as the Women’s 50-over World Cup in 2022, will now be able to extend their playing squads to 22, or include additional support. Enlarged squads to cover for injury and illness have become a feature of international cricket played over the last year, as teams negotiate the various border control and quarantine restrictions in place around the world. The ICC’s latest board meeting included an update on preparations for the Men’s T20 World Cup in India, and referred to “positive discussions” between the BCCI and the Indian government around tax arrangements and visa guarantees. As reported by media earlier this week, the ICC has also decided to continue with a range of pandemic-related measures, including the use of non-neutral umpires, Covid substitutions and a ban on saliva being used to shine the ball.