The Women’s T20 World Cup in 2024 will take place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) instead of Bangladesh, as announced by the International Cricket Council (ICC). The event, which was originally slated to be in Dubai and Sharjah from October 3 to October 20, has been moved. After India rejected to host the competition, Cricbuzz was the first to announce that the United Arab Emirates may be the alternate.
It was not feasible to hold an international event given the present state of affairs in the nation, especially in light of several nations’ travel recommendations warning against entering Bangladesh. Additionally, it was the prevailing opinion of the directors and board members who participated remotely in the ICC meeting on Tuesday afternoon. The change has been approved by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). It will remain the official host, nevertheless.
Alyssa Healy, one of the players, even stated that participating in the World Cup in Bangladesh right now is not ideal. “I’d find it hard to fathom playing there [in Bangladesh] at the moment, as a human being, I feel like it might be the wrong thing to do,” Healy stated. “Taking resources away from a nation that is truly struggling would be that. They need every person they can muster to get in there and assist the dying. The captain of the Australian women’s squad stated, “There are obviously bigger factors at play than holding a cricket tournament in Bangladesh at the moment. I’ll leave it to the ICC to work out.”
The ICC had few choices when the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently rejected to hold the tournament in India citing weather concerns and the Women’s ODI World Cup in less than a year. Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka showed interest, but the UAE was seen to be the best option due to a number of factors, including its excellent climate and time zone alignment with Bangladesh.
The 10-team, 23-match competition is anticipated to be structured similarly to the 2021 men’s Twenty20 World Cup, which was hosted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) but included venues in Dubai and Abu Dhabi for the matches. The BCB will continue to serve as the host in the same way, with the games taking place in the desert cities.
Bangladesh has been battling political turbulence and student discontent due to internal violence, and reports of fatalities have not stopped emerging even after a new administration took office recently. There were worries expressed at the board meeting that it would not be suitable to have the event in a nation experiencing such violence right now.
“It is a shame not to be hosting the Women’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh as we know the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) would have staged a memorable event,” stated ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice. I want to express my gratitude to the BCB team for trying their hardest to find a way to have the tournament held in Bangladesh; but, due to travel advisories issued by several of the participating teams’ governments, that was not possible. They will still be able to host, though. We want to visit Bangladesh soon with an ICC international tournament.”
The chief executive officer of the ICC stated, “I’d also like to thank the Emirates Cricket Board for stepping in to host on behalf of the BCB and Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe for their generous offers of support, and we look forward to seeing ICC global events in both of those countries in 2026.”
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