Women’s ICC World Cup to be played in UAE instead of Bangladesh

ICC announced the event’s location change.

The International Cricket Council has declared a change in venue for the upcoming Women’s ICC World Cup 2024. The tournament was earlier scheduled to be played in Bangladesh, but due to ongoing unrest, it will now be played in the United Arab Emirates(UAE). The event, scheduled to take place from 3 to 20 October, will now be staged in Dubai and Sharjah. 

The ongoing unrest and turmoil in Bangladesh made it impossible to host an event of an international level, the travel advisory advisories from different countries against visiting Bangladesh. India was also considered as an alternative to shift the venue but The Board Of Control For Cricket In India (BCCI) has declined the offer due to weather conditions and also they have to host the Women’s ODI World Cup. the ICC was left with limited options. Although Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka expressed interest, the UAE was deemed the ideal choice for several reasons, particularly its favorable weather and alignment with Bangladesh’s time zone.

Bangladesh’s Current Situation

Bangladesh is currently facing internal unrest and protest, the protest has however turned into turmoil after Prime Minister Shaike Hasina escaped from the country, thus leading to political instability throughout the nation.

Safety is the priority and concerns about resource allocation led to the decision to change the venue for the event.

Even a player like Alyssa Healy said playing the World Cup in Bangladesh is not ideal at this stage. “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 said. “(That would be) taking resources away from a country that is struggling. They need everyone they can get in there to help people that are dying. There are bigger factors at play than putting a cricket tournament on in Bangladesh at the moment … but I’ll leave it to the ICC to work out,” the Australia women’s team captain added.

The 10-team, 23-match championship is expected to follow the model of the 2021 men’s Twenty20 World Cup, the host of which was the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) but the matches were staged in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. In the same manner, the BCB will continue to remain the host, with the matches staged in the desert cities.