There will be a tinge of regret for Bangladesh’s players when the Women’s T20 World Cup kicks off on Thursday.
As the host nation, they should have been playing Scotland in the tournament’s opening match in front of a packed-out stadium in Dhaka.
Instead, they will likely be playing in front of a sparse crowd in somewhat unfamiliar conditions, with their chances of surprise victories along the way lessened.
It’s a far cry from what was envisaged just a few months ago.
The eleventh-hour change of location for the World Cup was the result of weeks of widespread political unrest in Bangladesh, which eventually led to the installation of an interim government.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) was left with little choice but to shift the World Cup from Bangladesh to the United Arab Emirates in late August.
The lack of law and order meant governments from participating nations, including England, advised against travel to Bangladesh.
The loss of home advantage will be felt acutely by a team who have only won one match in five T20 World Cup competitions.
Earlier this year, Bangladesh suffered nine straight T20 losses, including series clean sweeps by Australia and India.
However, 2023 was a relatively successful year, with impressive victories against South Africa away and India at home, which gave hope of a new dawn for the team just 12 months from a World Cup on home soil.
Much of that hope has now dissipated.
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