Hyderabad: Veteran England seamer Monty Panesar believes that the men's T20 World Cup, which is slated to be held later this year, should get postponed as "having players from so many countries can increase the virus (COVID-19) outbreak" in Australia.
In an exclusive interview with ETV Bharat, Monty Panesar on Wednesday has his say regarding the postponement of T20 World Cup and whether IPL should replace the ICC event or not.
IPL should replace WC.
Talking about the 13th edition of the cash-rich league, which has been postponed indefinitely in the wake of the pandemic, Panesar said, "I don't see men's T20 WC happening this year, I think it will get postponed and IPL should take that October-November window."
When asked if the Board of Control for Cricket in India should take IPL abroad, Panesar said, BCCI should "hold on to that as long as possible." Citing the example of England, where "things have changed dramatically," the left-arm spinner said, "India could be at its peak right now and things might get better by end of June or mid-July and by the start of August, it could be a completely different story."
Australia should host next T20 World Cup.
There are already two ICC World Cups scheduled in 2021 -- India T20 WC and Women's ODIs World Cup. So if the Australia 2020 WC gets postponed to next year, ICC could opt to either cancel or postponed the India WC. When asked about the same, the 38-year-old leggie said, "I think, IPL should be held this year and Australia and New Zealand should hosts the T20 World Cup next year. And India World Cup could be pushed to the next year."
MS Dhoni would know when his time is up.
Panesar also opined that the postponement of T20 WC has put former Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni in a really difficult position, before saying that he can not do anything about it. "What else is he gonna do, he can keep practising and keep himself fit."
Panesar believes that if Dhoni does well in the upcoming edition of IPL, he should continue playing. The veteran of 50 Test matches and 26 ODIs also said that Dhoni would be the first person to know when his time is up.
Smith is better in Test and Kohli is better in T20Is, ODIs.
When asked to pick between Indian skipper Virat Kohli and his nemesis Steve Smith, the 38-year-old said, "I think Steve Smith is a better Test batsman than Virat Kohli," before adding that the Indian skipper is a better limited-overs player.
