ICC postpones March 25-27 Doha meeting; may reschedule it in April

The meeting of the International Cricket Council (ICC), scheduled for March 25-27 in Doha, Qatar, has been postponed in view of the ongoing war in the region. The meeting is expected to be reconvened sometime in April, although a new date has not yet been announced.

The postponement was inevitable because of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, and a formal communication was sent to members on Saturday, the day before the T20 World Cup final in Ahmedabad. The ICC, it is learnt, is looking for another venue in the continent.

The meeting was to bring together ICC Board Directors, Chief Executives, Committee Members and senior leadership "as part of the organisation's ongoing governance calendar, providing an important opportunity to deliberate over key matters pertaining to the present and future of the global game."

The decision to stage the meetings in Doha, the ICC had said in a release on February 22, was because of the ICC's growing engagement with cricket in Qatar and the country's wider sporting ecosystem. "The ICC's support of and collaboration with the Qatar Cricket Association and Olympic Committee, Cricket in Qatar has fuelled remarkable progress for the sport in recent years," the ICC had said.

Meanwhile, a host of ICC officials are expected to be in Ahmedabad, the home city of Jay Shah, the chair of the ICC. With New Zealand playing the final, it is learnt that New Zealand Cricket (NZC) chairman Roger Twose will be at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday night.

Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani and Cricket South Africa (CSA) chairman Dr Mohammed Moosajee are also expected to be present, along with several other board representatives.

However, there is no immediate information of Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Aminul Islam attending the meeting. He is believed to be in Melbourne. Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) chairman Moshsin Naqvi will not be here.