ICC moves women's T20 World Cup 2024 to UAE due to safety concerns amidst Bangladesh unrest

The ICC on Tuesday announced that the upcoming Women's T20 World Cup 2024, initially set to be held in Bangladesh, will now take place in the UAE due to concerns about safety.

Sunita Iyer

First Published Aug 20, 2024, 9:48 PM IST | Last Updated Aug 20, 2024, 9:48 PM IST

The ICC on Tuesday announced that the upcoming Women's T20 World Cup 2024, initially set to be held in Bangladesh, will now take place in the UAE due to concerns about safety. The decision followed advisories from several participating countries against traveling to the unrest-stricken nation.

Scheduled from October 3 to 20, the tournament will now be hosted in Dubai and Sharjah. Despite the change in location, Bangladesh will retain its hosting rights and continue to receive its portion of the revenue.

"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," ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice said in a statement.

Allardice stated that the Bangladesh Cricket Board explored every possible option to 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. However, they will retain hosting rights. We look forward to taking an ICC global event to Bangladesh in the near future," he said.

Following the collapse of Sheikh Hasina's Awami League government, over 230 people have died in violence across Bangladesh, raising the total death toll to over 600 since the large-scale student protests against the government's job quota system began in mid-July.

An interim government has been established, with 84-year-old Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus appointed as Chief Adviser. Najmul Hassan Papon, president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board and a close associate of the former Prime Minister, has also fled the country.

The ICC's decision to relocate the Women's T20 World Cup comes after Australian T20 captain Alyssa Healy voiced her concerns about playing in Bangladesh on Monday.

"I would find it hard to fathom playing there at the moment, as a human being. I feel it might be wrong thing to do," Healy was quoted as saying by the Australian Associated Press.

Allardice stated that every available option was considered before deciding to move the venue.

"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," he said.

The UAE was deemed a viable alternative because Dubai and Sharjah are in close proximity, which helps keep logistical costs for the event manageable.

Amidst escalating anti-government protests on August 5, Hasina resigned and fled the country. The 76-year-old leader has arrived in India and is currently residing in a secure location in Delhi.

Reports indicate that minority communities in Bangladesh have faced atrocities following the recent political upheaval.