T20 World Cup: The ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 is going to be held in October this year. Earlier the hosting of this tournament was given to Bangladesh, but recently the International Cricket Council (ICC) has taken a big decision and changed its venue. Now this prestigious tournament will be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) instead of Bangladesh. This decision has been taken in view of certain circumstances, in which it was not possible to host the tournament in Bangladesh. However, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) will retain the hosting rights, and the tournament will be organized in the UAE under the supervision of the BCB.
Bangladesh's preparations and unexpected changesBangladesh had made extensive preparations to host this tournament. ICC Chief Executive Officer Geoff Allardice said in this context that not being able to host the tournament in Bangladesh is a disappointing situation, as the BCB had completed all the preparations required for the event. However, the governments of some countries expressed concern about sending their teams to Bangladesh, due to which this decision had to be changed. As a result, the tournament will now be played in Dubai and Sharjah in the UAE between October 3 and 20.
UAE: A new cricket hubThe UAE has emerged as an important hub for cricket in recent years. It has world-class facilities, making it suitable to host such a major tournament. The UAE has successfully hosted several major cricket tournaments in the past, including the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in 2021. The decision to host the tournament in the UAE will not only ensure the success of this tournament, but it will also play an important role in the development and spread of women's cricket.
Way forwardThe ICC has expressed gratitude for the support of Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe after this decision and hopes to organize events in these countries in the future as well.
This change forced Bangladesh to step down from hosting responsibilities, but the successful conduct of the tournament will be ensured by retaining the role of the BCB. Organizing this tournament in the UAE will not only increase the popularity of cricket, but players will also get excellent facilities. The tournament is set to take women's cricket to new heights, and the experience of hosting it will prove to be another milestone for the UAE.