Bangladesh was almost ready to host the Women’s T20 World Cup in 2024, but the situation worsened, leading the ICC to decide to shift the flagship event to the UAE. Student protests in Bangladesh began in early July in protest against the country’s employment quota system, initially on a small scale but escalating to unimaginable levels.
Let’s take a look back at the events that took place in Bangladesh in chronological order.
August 5
Government collapse
Following the violent violence in Bangladesh, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned, ending her 15-year rule. Her government collapsed and many of her ruling party supporters, including Bangladesh Central Committee Chairman Nazmul Hasan, fled the country. In addition, the home of former Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza, who was an elected member of parliament under the ruling party, was set on fire.
Women’s T20 World Cup in jeopardy
The result has cast a shadow over Bangladesh’s hosting of the Women’s T20 World Cup, a 10-team tournament scheduled to be played in Dhaka and Sylhet from October 3 to 20. The ICC has also spoken out on the issue for the first time.
“The ICC is closely monitoring the situation in coordination with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), its security agencies and our independent security consultants. Our top priority is the safety and well-being of all participants,” an ICC spokesperson told Sportstar.
August 11
BCB is persistent
With the BCB president out of the country, Bangladesh was trying its best to hold the high-profile event. The situation was further complicated with many countries, including the UK and Australia, advising people not to travel to Bangladesh, putting the tournament in further difficulty. However, the caretaker government sought time.
August 15
India withdraws from the race
As unrest spread in Bangladesh, the ICC was rushing to finalise the venue for the tournament, which was planned to be held in the same time zone as Bangladesh, giving India, Sri Lanka and the UAE automatic title favourites.
But India has withdrawn from the race. [ICC] “I was asked whether we would host the World Cup and my answer was a firm no,” BCCI secretary-general Jay Shah told The Times of India.
“It’s monsoon season and on top of that we have the Women’s ODI World Cup next year. We don’t want to send a signal that we want to host back-to-back World Cups.”
August 16
Zimbabwe jumps at the opportunity
Now that it was clear Bangladesh would not host the tournament, Zimbabwe came forward. Zimbabwe has not hosted a World Cup since co-hosting the Men’s ODI World Cup with South Africa and Kenya in 2003. The weather was forecast to be dry with no chance of rain, making this an attractive option.
But more practically, the BCCI’s withdrawal has made the UAE the favourites to host the tournament.
August 19
Healy speaks up
Australia captain Alyssa Healy became the first cricketer to speak out about the violence in Bangladesh, saying it would be “morally wrong” to host the World Cup in Bangladesh.
“It’s really painful to see cricket events being held over there at the moment and taking resources away from countries that are really struggling,” Healy said, according to ESPNcricinfo.
“They need everyone they can get to help these dying people.”
“At this point in time, I can’t imagine playing there. As a human being, I think it might be the wrong thing to do. But I will leave it to the ICC to sort it out.”
August 20
World Cup officially moves to UAE
The ICC has decided to officially move the Women’s T20 World Cup from Bangladesh to the UAE. The 23-match tournament will be played across two venues, Dubai and Sharjah.
“It is disappointing that the Women’s T20 World Cup cannot be held in Bangladesh as the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) would have put on a memorable event,” ICC chief executive Geoff Allardice said.
BCB chairman Jalal Yunus also resigned following a request from the National Sports Council, marking the first step towards a complete shake-up of the organisation.
August 21
New BCB chairman appointed
Former Bangladesh cricketer Farooq Ahmed has been appointed as the new chairman of the BCB following the resignation of Nzamul Hassan.
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