ICC Defends World Twenty20's Scheduling During Monsoon Period

The International Cricket Council "defended the scheduling of the World Twenty20 as monsoon rains threatened to ruin the tournament in Sri Lanka," according to the AFP. An ICC spokesperson said, "This was the only period available in the Future Tours Programme this year to conduct the tournament. All the teams were aware of it." The two-yearly tournament, "being held in Sri Lanka for the first time, coincides with the traditional start of the monsoon season in the region." The first four days of the event "stayed rain-free before bad weather on Saturday affected both games in Hambantota and Colombo." The match between South Africa and Sri Lanka in the southern port town of Hambantota was reduced to seven-overs-a-side. In Colombo, rain forced the match between Australia and the West Indies to be called off in front of 18,000 fans at the Premadasa stadium. Sri Lanka, which was awarded hosting rights for the tournament in '07, has "organised just one int'l series in the month of October since gaining full status" in '82 (AFP, 9/23).