Women's T20 World Cup moved to UAE amid Bangladesh unrest

This year’s Women’s T20 World Cup, originally scheduled for October in Bangladesh, has been relocated to the UAE, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced yesterday. The move comes after weeks of political turmoil in Bangladesh, which saw Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ousted and forced to flee the country, following deadly protests.

Over 450 people were killed in the unrest, primarily due to police action, leading to Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus stepping in as interim leader. The political instability prompted the ICC to shift the tournament to the UAE, citing travel advisories from several participating countries.

The ninth edition of ICC Women’s #T20WorldCup to be held in October 2024 has been relocated to a new venue.

Details 👇https://t.co/20vK9EMEdN

— ICC (@ICC) August 20, 2024

“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,” said ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice.

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“However, they will retain hosting rights. We look forward to taking an ICC global event to Bangladesh in the near future,” he added.

The tournament will now take place from 3 to 20 October in Dubai and Sharjah. This marks the first time the UAE will host a premier women’s cricket tournament, although it has previously hosted men’s events, including the 2021 Men’s T20 World Cup, which was also relocated to the Gulf state from India due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Alyssa Healy, the captain of reigning champions Australia, told reporters on Monday that it would not be appropriate to play cricket in Bangladesh as it grapples with political instability: “I’d find it really hard to see a cricket event going on over there at the moment and taking resources away from a country that is really struggling.”

Last month, the UAE arrested and charged several Bangladeshi nationals who reportedly took part in anti-government riots relating to events in their home country.

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