The hosting rights of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 are in serious jeopardy due to the recent security situation in Bangladesh. However, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has been in direct contact with the International Cricket Council (ICC) over the past few days regarding the situation in the country.
Bangladesh has been in political turmoil in recent days after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to leave the country due to danger to her life. Even BCB chief Nazmul Hassan is believed to have left the country, leaving the council in a dire situation.
Following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government, known as the Awami League government, earlier this week, a new interim government has been formed in the country, which was sworn in on Thursday (August 8). On the same day, the BCB is alleged to have written to Bangladesh Chief of Army Staff General Waker-Uz-Zaman to enquire about security assurances for hosting the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup.
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Bangladesh strives to retain hosting rights for 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup
According to the Daily Star, the ICC is in constant talks with the BCB to resolve the matter quickly so that it has enough time to prepare alternative options. The ICC is believed to have already started looking at alternative options to host the women’s showpiece event.
BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury revealed that the board has reached out to the country’s military over the security concerns. However, the BCB is yet to receive a response from the military.
“We had communicated with them (the Army) but by then the (interim) government had already been formed. Since it is already formed, they will give priority to it as required,” Nizamuddin Chowdhury told the Daily Star.
“We have been in touch with them and the sooner we get a response, the better we will understand the situation. We contacted them very late yesterday (Thursday) and they had very little time to review the matter,” he added.
Since the BCB chief and several board members are not present in the office at the moment, the board is unable to function properly. But Bangladesh is still confident of hosting the tournament safely.
The ICC is closely monitoring the situation
Meanwhile, the ICC is also reportedly monitoring the situation closely. According to the Daily Star, the ICC will only make an official announcement after a final decision has been made.
“The CCI had sent us a letter and then we contacted our Army Chief. We will ask him again tomorrow. [today]”The letter we wrote was also addressed to the Sports Ministry, Air Force, Navy and other relevant parties. So, let’s see,” BCB umpires’ committee chairman Iftekhar Ahmed Mithu was quoted as saying by the Daily Star.
2024 Women’s T20 World Cup Schedule
The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 will feature ten teams. The tournament will begin on 3 October. The ten teams have been divided into two groups of five teams each. After the group stage, the semi-finals will be played, followed by the final on 20 October.
The tournament will be held across two venues in the country, Dhaka and Sylhet. Australia is the current defending champion of the Women’s T20 World Cup.
