File image of India women's cricket team.© BCCI/Sportzpics
With Jay Shah, the Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) ruling out India hosting the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has emerged as a potential host for the tournament. At the same time, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has asked for more time to save the tournament from being moved out of the country. In May this year, the ICC had unveiled the schedule of Women's T20 World Cup to be hosted by Bangladesh from October 3-20, with warm-up matches scheduled to begin from September 27.
According to a report in Cricbuzz, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is believed to be looking at Dubai and Abu Dhabi as the options for hosting the tournament, though the BCB has sought more time. It added the ICC is expected to make a decision likely on August 20, when an online meeting of the directors is scheduled, though the agenda is different.
"A BCB official said on Thursday that it has requested the ICC for five more days before making a call. If the ICC grants the extra time, then it would have to decide on August 20, the day of the board meeting. It is understood that the ICC was originally expected to take the call on the Women's World Cup by August 15," said the report.
With Shah's statement ruling out India as an alternative venue, the report also said BCB requesting for extra time is because they are confident of coming up with a plan that will meet the ICC's requirements to host the tournament.
"The ICC is seeking a host country with a time zone similar to that of Bangladesh and clear weather conditions, and UAE fits that criteria well. Besides, the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) boasts world-class infrastructure.
"And more importantly, the ECB is believed to be keen on hosting the event. It is understood that Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka are also interested. With just about 50 days remaining for the start of the tournament, time is running out," added the report.
The report further said the agenda for the August 20 meeting by the ICC is believed to be finalizing the terms of reference for an inquiry into the delivery of the 2024 Men's T20 World Cup co-hosted by the USA and West Indies, from June 1-29.
At the ICC Annual Conference in Colombo last month, cricket's global governing body formed a panel comprising three directors - Roger Twose, Lawson Naidoo, and Imran Khwaja - to report on this matter. “The meeting has been mainly called to address this issue but a decision on the Women's World Cup cannot be ruled out,” concluded the report.
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