Concerns have arisen regarding Bangladesh’s ability to host the 2024 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup scheduled from October 3-20. This is due to the ongoing unrest and the subsequent departure of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who left the country in an Air Force jet. With the tournament just around the corner, there is speculation about the event being relocated to another venue if the situation in Bangladesh does not stabilize. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has not made any official statements yet but they are closely monitoring the situation before making any decisions.
“The ICC is closely monitoring the situation in collaboration with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), local security agencies, and our own security consultants. The safety and well-being of all participants is our top priority,” said an ICC spokesperson to IANS.
During the recent ICC Annual Conference in Colombo, the issue of unrest in Bangladesh related to a government jobs quota system was raised by some member nations. However, since it was not on the agenda of the conference, it was not formally discussed.
The 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup will feature ten teams playing 23 matches across 18 days at two venues – the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka and the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium. There will also be 10 warm-up matches from September 27 to October 1 at BKSP in Dhaka.
India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and defending champions Australia are in Group A, while hosts Bangladesh, England, South Africa, West Indies, and Scotland are in Group B. This will be Bangladesh’s second time hosting the tournament, having previously done so in 2014.
The competition will kick off with South Africa taking on England, followed by Bangladesh facing Scotland in Dhaka. Defending champions Australia will start their campaign against Sri Lanka, and India will face New Zealand on the same day.
The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals scheduled for October 17 in Sylhet and October 18 in Dhaka. The champions of the Women’s T20 World Cup will be crowned in Dhaka on October 20.
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