How the Political unrest in Bangladesh affect the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024. What are the venue options for ICC?
The current political unrest in Bangladesh has put the hosting of the Women’s World T20 from October 3 to October 20 in the country in jeopardy.
According to a Cricbuzz report, ICC has stated that they are monitoring the situation in Bangladesh and keeping all options open, reiterating, “Our priority is the safety and well-being of all participants."
The effect of the turmoil in Bangladesh can be seen after India, Australia, and England, who are due to take part in the tournament, have issued travel advisories requesting their citizens not to travel to Bangladesh currently. Bangladesh A team that is due to play a series from August 10 to 27 in Pakistan has seen their departure being postponed “by 48 hours." However, there is no update regarding any delay in the Bangladesh national team’s departure to Pakistan for a Test series beginning on August 21. Moreover, Bangladesh are also due to travel to India for a Test series in September.
Although the Women’s World T20 is still a few days away, the ICC is already mulling, albeit informally, for alternative venues to host the tournament. India and Sri Lanka are favourites to host the tournament if the ICC decides to shift the competition. However, there is a possibility of rain in Sri Lanka in October, while Pakistan players may face visa issues if the tournament is to take place in India. UAE is another strong contender to host the tournament. “All places with favourable weather will be in the mix if it becomes clear that we can't play in Bangladesh,” an ICC member told Cricbuzz.
How will a shift impact Bangladesh cricket
Bangladesh were banking on the tournament to earn some revenues. It would also have given a boost to women’s cricket in Bangladesh. It would have also given a push to the economy with international teams, staff, and media travelling to Bangladesh to be part of the mega event. If all the tournament is shifted, it would leave a big impact on the country, in terms of finances, and miss out on a chance to host such a big tournament.
However, earlier precedent shows that even if the ICC shifts the tournament to another location due to unavoidable reasons, the hosting right remains with the host country. In that situation, Bangladesh could oversee all the logistics to ensure the tournament is held successfully in another nation. However, the revenue-sharing model between the ICC and the host country would then have to be recalculated as another country offers its services to make the tournament happen. It could leave a slight dent in Bangladesh’s revenue generation from the tournament. At the moment, there is no official communication from the Bangladesh Cricket Board.
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