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Less than a month before the ICC Men's T20 World Cup gets underway, Cricket West Indies (CWI) is dealing with a potential terror threat to the global event it is set to co-host alongside the USA.
As per media reports from the Caribbean islands, the region has received terror alerts to the T20 showpiece which is scheduled to get underway from June 1.
According to a report in Cricbuzz, the threat originates from North Pakistan.
“Pro-Islamic State (IS) media sources have launched campaigns inciting violence against sporting events, which included video messages from the Afghanistan-Pakistan branch, ISKhorasan (IS-K) which highlighted assaults in numerous countries and urged supporters to join the battlefield in their countries,” reads the security alert.
CWI CEO Jonny Graves says the board is working closely with the stakeholders and assured they have proper plans in place.
“We work closely with authorities in the host countries and cities, and continually monitor and evaluate the global landscape to ensure appropriate plans are in place to mitigate any risks identified to our event,” Graves was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
“We want to assure all stakeholders that safety and security of everyone at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is our number one priority and we have a comprehensive and robust security plan in place,” he added.
As many as six venues are slated to host T20 World Cup matches in the West Indies including Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana, Saint Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago.
Three venues in USA will also hosts world cup games including New York, Florida and Dallas. However, there has been no threat to the matches in the USA.
20 nations are taking part in the competition which will be held from June 1 to June 29. As many as 55 T20Is will be played during the tournament with England being the defending champions.
Source: Terror Threat to T20 World Cup in West Indies From North Pakistan: Report