The ICC has confirmed that the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup will be moved from Bangladesh to the United Arab Emirates.

The event, scheduled to take place from 3 to 20 October, will now be staged in Dubai and Sharjah.

The decision to change the venue comes after unrest that led to the overthrow of prime minister Sheikh Hasina after 15 years of iron-fisted rule.

More than 450 people were killed in the weeks of protests leading up to her 5 August ouster, most by police fire.

“It is a shame not to be hosting the Women’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh as we know the Bangladesh Cricket Board would have staged a memorable event,” said ICC chief executive Geoff Allardice.

“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.”