The T20 World Cup is all but scheduled to be postponed after Cricket Australia decided to stand down a bulk of its workforce with as much as 80 per cent pay cuts for the next two months to negate the adverse impact of COVID-19.

The decision of Cricket Australia to work with skeletal force was taken after a study reported that its earnings in the coming year will be impacted up to 50% by Covid19 and subsequent lack of international cricket.

Cricket Australia, however, still showed optimism to conduct the World Cup later in October even though most senior officials expect that to be near impossible, with the skeletal staff as well as lack of finances.

”We have made the decision during this period of isolation, where activity has naturally been reduced, to stand down our people on reduced pay effective 27 April,” said Cricket Australia in a statement.

Cricket Australia is the first cricket board.to take such drastic measures and it remains to be seen how other cricket boards react. BCCI has already stated that it will stand by its employees.

This also brings more possibility, as reported by ABP News, that IPL may be staged in October should the ICC be forced to cancel the World Cup in consultation with Australia board.

Australian board will also be keen to pump in finances coming in from the BCCI as guarantee money for sending it's players to the IPL.