The International Cricket Council (ICC) is closely monitoring the political unrest in Bangladesh, which has led to the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The Women’s T20 World Cup is scheduled to be held in Bangladesh from October 3 to 20, and the ICC is adopting a wait-and-watch approach before making any decisions about the tournament’s location.
The unrest in Bangladesh stems from a controversial quota system that reserves 30% of jobs for families of veterans from the 1971 liberation war. The system has sparked fierce demonstrations across the country, resulting in over 100 casualties in the past two days.
The ICC has an independent security monitoring system across all its member nations. The situation in Bangladesh is being monitored closely, but with seven weeks left for the tournament to begin, it is too early to comment on whether it will be shifted from Bangladesh.
The ICC does have contingency plans for unavoidable circumstances. In case of a need to relocate, Sri Lanka could be an option, given that it successfully hosted the men’s T20 World Cup in 2012.
A critical question remains whether countries like South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia will send their women’s teams to Bangladesh amidst the current volatile security environment. For now, the ICC continues to monitor the situation as the start date of the Women’s T20 World Cup approaches.
