Women's T20 World Cup Relocated to UAE

The 2024 Women's T20 World Cup has been relocated from Bangladesh to the United Arab Emirates following significant civil unrest in Bangladesh. 

The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced that the tournament will now take place in Dubai and Sharjah between October 3-20. This decision comes after Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, resigned and fled to India amid weeks of deadly anti-government protests.

ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice expressed regret that the tournament could not be held in Bangladesh, acknowledging the efforts of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to host the event. However, travel advisories from various governments made it impossible to proceed with Bangladesh as the host. Allardice also thanked the Emirates Cricket Board for stepping in to host the tournament.

Although Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe had offered to host the event, India declined to do so. As a result, the tournament will now take place in the UAE, with England and Scotland drawn together in Group B of the 10-team competition.

Originally, England and Scotland were set to begin their campaigns against South Africa and Bangladesh at Dhaka's Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on October 3, with their final group match against each other scheduled for October 14.

Despite the relocation, Allardice assured that Bangladesh would retain its hosting rights for a future ICC event, stating the intention to bring a global cricket event to the country when conditions improve.

The previous edition of the Women's T20 World Cup was held in South Africa in February 2023, where Australia secured their sixth title with a 19-run victory over the hosts.

The unrest in Bangladesh, which resulted in the deaths of over 400 people, began with student-led protests against civil service job quotas. In the wake of this violence, a provisional administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was established after Hasina fled the country.