Women's T20 World Cup shifted to UAE

DUBAI:

The highly-anticipated ninth edition of the tournament will now take place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) continuing to host the event.

The tournament will take place across the two venues in the UAE – Dubai and Sharjah – from 3 to 20 October.

"It is a shame not to be hosting the Women's T20 World Cup in Bangladesh as we know the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) would have staged a memorable event," ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice said in a statement.

"I would like to thank the team at the BCB for exploring all avenues to try and enable the event to be hosted in Bangladesh, but travel advisories from the governments of a number of the participating teams meant that wasn't feasible. However, they will retain hosting rights. We look forward to taking an ICC global event to Bangladesh in the near future.

"I'd also like to thank the Emirates Cricket Board for stepping in to host on behalf of the BCB and Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe for their generous offers of support, and we look forward to seeing ICC global events in both of those countries in 2026."

The UAE, home to the ICC headquarters, has become a significant hub for cricket in recent years, hosting numerous qualifier tournaments as well as the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in 2021 alongside Oman.

With its world-class facilities and infrastructure, the UAE is well-equipped to stage the Women's T20 World Cup.

The country's growing prominence in the sport is reflected in the rise of both its men's and women's teams, each currently ranked 16th in the ICC T20I Team Rankings.

Greg Barclay confirmed to the board that he would step down as the ICC Chairperson after his tenure ends in November.

Barclay was appointed as the Independent ICC Chair in November 2020, before being re-elected unopposed in 2022.

Current directors are required to submit nominations for the next Chair by 27 August 2024. If there are more than two candidates, an election will be held, with the new Chair's term beginning on 1 December 2024.

New ICC Chairman

Jay Shah of India is poised to take over as the Chair of the International Cricket Council (ICC) after forcing the resignation of the current chair, Greg Barclay, reported The Age.

Barclay informed ICC directors, including Cricket Australia's chair Mike Baird, during a video conference on Tuesday night that he intends to step down. This decision came after Shah, who serves as the BCCI secretary, expressed his desire to assume the role in November and claimed that he had the necessary support from other members to do so.

An ICC spokesperson confirmed, "ICC chair Greg Barclay has informed the board that he will not seek a third term and will vacate the position when his current tenure concludes at the end of November. Barclay was first appointed as the independent ICC chair in November 2020 and was re-elected in 2022."

Current ICC directors must submit nominations for the next chair by August 27, 2024. If multiple candidates are nominated, an election will be held, with the new chair's term starting on December 1, 2024.

Although Barclay was eligible for another two-year term, Shah has garnered backing from countries including Australia and England, positioning him to lead the ICC for at least three years under a revised constitution. Shah's tenure as BCCI secretary is set to expire next year.

The future of ICC management, led by Australian CEO Geoff Allardice and based in Dubai, remains uncertain. Additionally, there is growing doubt about whether India will participate in the 2025 Champions Trophy scheduled in Pakistan in February next year.