Mumbai (Commonwealth Union)_ Following India’s rejection, the International Cricket Council is looking for a possible host nation to take the place of conflict-torn Bangladesh for the women’s Twenty20 World Cup. The ICC is considering moving the October event due to political unrest in Bangladesh.
Australia is the reigning champion after winning the competition in South Africa in 2023 for the third time in a row. We have been requested to host the World Cup by them (ICC), Jay Shah, the secretary of the Indian Board of Control for Cricket, told the Times of India on Thursday, “I have said no, period. Next year, we will host the Women’s ODI World Cup in addition to being in the monsoon season. I don’t want to convey in any way that I intend to hold World Cups back-to-back.”
It’s important to remember that India will host the 50-over Women’s World Cup the following year, which will be an even bigger tournament than this one. It is not an easy task to host a world cup when all cricket-playing nations are actively participating; sufficient preparation and methods are required. Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates are also being examined as potential hosts.
The players’ safety and welfare are the first priority, according to the International Cricket Council, which stated earlier this week that it and the national cricket body are “closely monitoring developments” in Bangladesh. Since the unrest began in July, more over 300 people have died. Initially, protests against a government employment quota system escalated to a movement against Prime Minister Hasina Wajid’s allegedly growing authoritarian rule.
Hasina’s 15-year reign came to an end when the rebellion ultimately compelled her to abandon power and flee to India. Since Bangladesh’s interim government was imposed, other nations, notably Australia, India, and England, have issued severe travel recommendations.
Political unrest in Bangladesh
The possibility of Bangladesh hosting the T20 World Cup has come under scrutiny due to the country’s political unrest, which included a student-led insurrection that forced Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to flee.
Shah addressed these ICC’s concerns by saying that if a venue change is required, India will not act as a backup host. The International Cricket Council had contacted the BCCI about this prospect, but they had rejected because of other obligations and the present monsoon season.
The location of the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup is anticipated to be decided upon shortly by the ICC, which is keeping a close eye on the events in Bangladesh. Meanwhile, men’s Bangladeshi cricket team has left for a two-match Test series against Pakistan.They took an early flight since the social disturbance that was still going on back home had interfered with their practice routine.
The reigning winners of the Women’s T20 World Cup are Australia. In the final, the team captained by Meg Lanning triumphed against the hosts, South Africa, to win the title. India Women, meanwhile, were unable to get to the semifinals. With their recent victory in the Asia T20 competition, Sri Lanka, led by the formidable Chamari Athapaththu, is also a strong contender to win the title this year.
It is planned that the ninth edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup will take place in 2024.It was supposed to take place in Bangladesh from October 3, 2024, to October 20, 2024.
The ICC verified the tournament’s qualifying procedure in April 2022. Bangladesh, the hosts, automatically advanced to the tournament. Scotland’s victory against Ireland in the first qualification semi-final secured their place in the Women’s T20 World Cup for the first time. After defeating United Arab Emirates in the second semifinal, Sri Lanka advanced to their seventh T20 World Cup as the second qualifier. Nine teams out the 10 nations who qualified for the T20 World Cup in 2023 made it, with Scotland taking Ireland’s place.
The Venue
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced in July 2022 that the matches will be held in two locations: Dhaka and Sylhet. The final will be held in Dhaka, reversing the original plan to host the final in Sylhet. Ten warm-up matches between the participating nations and the T20 World Cup are set to take place between September 27, 2024, and October 1, 2024. There will be no Women’s Twenty20 International (WT20I) or Women’s Twenty20 (WT20) status for these matches.
As of right now, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is considering hosting the event in either Sri Lanka or the United Arab Emirates, but no decision has been finalised yet.
