The International Cricket Council has announced that the Women’s T20 World Cup will be relocated from Bangladesh to the United Arab Emirates due to escalating violence in the host nation.
Student-led anti-government protests and ongoing civil unrest have prompted the resignation of Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, who has since taken refuge in India.
Given the security concerns, the ICC has decided to move the tournament, scheduled for October 3-20 2024, to the UAE.
The matches will be held at two venues; Dubai and Sharjah. Despite the shift, the Bangladesh Cricket Board will retain its hosting rights for the event.
ICC Chief Executive, Geoff Allardice, expressed regret over the decision, stating, “It is a shame not to be hosting the Women’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh as we know the BCB would have staged a memorable event.” He added, “However, they will retain hosting rights. We look forward to taking an ICC global event to Bangladesh in the near future.”
Allardice also acknowledged the efforts of the BCB, noting, “I would like to thank the team at the BCB for exploring all avenues to try and enable the event to be hosted in Bangladesh, but travel advisories from the governments of a number of the participating teams meant that wasn’t feasible.”
The tournament will feature ten nations, including England and debutants Scotland, who are drawn together in Group B.
Their match was initially scheduled to be the last of the opening stage on October 14.
