Former West Indies skipper Brian Lara named three teams who will start the upcoming T20 World Cup as favourites and said that he believes that it will be a ‘great World Cup to look at’. “I think India is going to be a force to reckon with. Australia at home… it’s not going to be an easy World Cup for anyone. Australia is going to be worried about India and the West Indies, West Indies are going to be worried about everybody because of their inconsistency sometimes. So it’s going to be a great World Cup to look at,” Lara told ESPNCricinfo.
West Indies have won the T20 World Cup twice – the only team to achieve this feat – while India won the inaugural edition in 2007. Australia have never won the trophy.
The matches of the Road Safety World Series, where Lara is currently playing for the West Indies legends, will now be held closed doors in view of the Coronavirus threat in Maharastra.
The organisers have also cancelled the matches which were to be played at the MCA Stadium in Gahunje in Pune and relocated them to the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.
“As a consequence of the ongoing health emergency in the country, all stake holders of the Road Safety World Series have decided that all remaining matches of the Road Safety World Series will be played behind closed doors at the DY Patil Stadium starting March 13 when South Africa Legends take on Sri Lanka Legends in a revised schedule,” a media statement issued in the midnight stated.
Maharashtra reported 10 cases of Coronavirus on Wednesday.
“Due to the outbreak of COVID-19 and the escalating number of cases in Maharashtra, the organising committee unanimously agreed that the third leg of the Series, which was scheduled to be held in Pune from March 14 to 20, 2020, be relocated to DY Patil stadium and played behind closed doors along with the remaining games at the same venue and the final,” it added.