The International Cricket Council (ICC) has recently taken the decision to move the highly anticipated upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup from Bangladesh to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The event, which will run from Oct. 3-20, was originally scheduled to be played in Bangladesh this year.

However, in a recent ICC statement issued, Chief Executive Officer, Geoff Allardice said relocating the tournament was driven by the fact that governments of a number of participating teams had issued travel advisories in relation to Bangladesh.

Social unrest in Bangladesh earlier this month had caused former prime minister Sheikh Hasina to resign and flee the country.

Although, the World Cup will now be held in the UAE, the Bangladesh Cricket Board will still continue to host the event.

“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,” Allardice said.

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