Right call to hold on T20 World Cup decision: Richardson

The fate of the T20 World Cup will not be decided by the International Cricket Council until July at the earliest with Australian fast bowler Kane Richardson backing the call not to rush into a decision.

The International Cricket Council's latest board meeting opted to defer any decision on the tournament, due to be hosted by Australia between October 18 and November 15, and continue with contingency planning.

Richardson, a regular in Australia's T20 squad, said although some clarity in a time of great uncertainty would be welcome, there was "no rush to make a decision".

"It's always nice to know what's going to happen in the near future but taking as much time as we can to make a decision about this is important," Richardson told reporters today.

"I think it's the right move, I think Australia and New Zealand have been really good in terms of flattening the curve, so I think there's some positivity there in terms of some cricket being on this summer with some kind of normality around it.

"The best decision is to take your time with this and make sure we've made the right decision."

Cricket Australia CEO Kevin Roberts last week said the event was "at high risk" but the ICC has held its ground for now.

"The situation surrounding the global pandemic is evolving rapidly and we want to give ourselves the best possible opportunity to make the right decision," ICC chief executive Manu Sawhney said after the latest board meeting.

"The health and well-being of everyone involved is our priority and other considerations fall out from that.

"We will only get one chance to make this decision and it needs to be the right one.

"We will continue to consult with our members, broadcasters, partners, governments and players to ensure we make a well-informed decision."

The tournament is due to kick-off in Geelong when Ireland take on Sri Lanka with the final taking place at the MCG.

Richardson said he had few concerns teams would be under-prepared if the tournament was green-lighted at short notice, while CA's published international schedule including warm-up matches against India and the West Indies.

"It depends on what the state programs can put together," Richardson said in terms of Australian players' preparations, with no national training camps scheduled for the Bupa National Cricket Centre in Brisbane with Queensland borders still closed.

"If there's some domestic cricket we can play before that, that'll be a bonus.

"Whatever decision is made we'll role with it. We haven't got much other choice.

"As we've heard said so many times, it's unprecedented, but if it means we're underprepared, then so be it … but I think we'll be fine."

If the tournament does proceed in the current window, Richardson feels Australia will be well-placed to finally claim the last global trophy missing from the national team's collection.

"At the moment it feels like everyone is really clear on what their role in the team is," Richardson said.

"In T20 cricket that's really massive. The more simple you can make the game the better.

"It feels like we're rolling pretty well but it also feels like a lifetime ago we played our last game.

"But a lot of blokes in that team have confidence in their role in the team and results have shown that.

"The disruption has come at a not ideal time for our team but everyone still knows and remembers what their role in the team will be and hopefully when we come together next time we'll just continue on that progress we've made."

Richardson missed Australia's last international, an ODI against New Zealand in front of empty stands at the SCG as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, after he was quarantined for 26 hours and tested for the virus after showing symptoms on returning from the South Africa tour. 

The test was negative, and Richardson later joined his Australia teammates on the sidelines at the SCG.

"It wasn't pleasant (but) if that's the world we're in, to take the field and do our jobs we have to get a swab stuck down our nose or throat, I think everyone will sign up for that," Richardson said.

"It's a pretty small price to pay to go to work and do your job.

"It only takes 10 seconds and as unpleasant as it is, I think everyone would be willing and able to do that to make sure we play."