ICC moves Women's T20 World Cup from crisis-hit Bangladesh to the United Arab Emirates

The much-awaited ninth edition of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup will now be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) continuing to host the event. The ICC confirmed that the tournament will now be held by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) in the UAE, as many countries have raised safety concerns due to travel warnings issued by their respective governments in the wake of political unrest in the country.

“It is a shame not to host the Women's T20 World Cup in Bangladesh as we know that the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) would have delivered an unforgettable event,” ICC chief executive Geoff Allardice said in a statement.

The reason for the International Cricket Council's (ICC) short-term change of plan is the unrest in Bangladesh, where there have been daily outbreaks of violence and deaths since a new government came to power.

This year the tournament will take place from October 3 to 20 at two venues in the United Arab Emirates – Dubai and Sharjah.

“I would like to thank the BCB team for exploring all options to host the event in Bangladesh, but due to travel warnings from the governments of some of the participating teams, this was not possible. However, they retain the hosting rights. We look forward to bringing a global ICC event to Bangladesh in the near future,” it added.

The United Arab Emirates, where the ICC headquarters are located, has developed into a major cricket centre in recent years and, along with Oman, is hosting numerous qualifying tournaments as well as the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021.

With its world-class facilities and infrastructure, the UAE is well-equipped to host the Women's T20 World Cup. The country's growing importance in the sport is reflected in the rise of its men's and women's teams, both of which currently sit 16th in the ICC T20I Team Rankings.

“I would also like to thank the Emirates Cricket Board for hosting on behalf of the BCB, as well as Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe for their generous offers of support. We look forward to seeing global ICC events in both of these countries in 2026,” the statement concluded.

(Except for the headline, this story from a syndicated feed has not been edited by Odishatv.in staff.)

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