"I'd find it hard to fathom playing there at the moment" - Alyssa Healy on playing the 2024 Women's T20 WC in Bangladesh amid political turmoilÂ
Australia women's team skipper Alyssa Healy has expressed her reservations about playing in Bangladesh for the 2024 T20 World Cup. The International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) are looking for a solution after political unrest and turmoil have torn the country apart, leading to Sheikh Hasina's resignation as the prime minister.
The unstable environment in the subcontinent nation has led to doubts about whether it could host the ICC event in October. India have already refused to stage the tournament on Bengladesh's behalf. And if reports are to be believed, Zimbabwe and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), have emerged as the new frontrunners.
The Australian government has placed Bangladesh on the do-not-travel list and Alyssa Healy feels that playing a tournament while the country is going through an unstable period would not be right.
"I'd find it hard to fathom playing there at the moment, as a human being, I feel like it might be the wrong thing to do. (That would be) taking resources away from a country that is really struggling. They're needing everyone they can possibly get in there helping people that are dying," Healy told AAP.
"There's obviously bigger factors at play than putting a cricket tournament on in Bangladesh at the moment ... but I'll leave it to the ICC to work out," she added.
Australia toured Bangladesh earlier this year during the March-April window for three ODIs and three T20Is, where they executed a successful whitewash.
"We're well prepared for whatever is thrown at us" - Alyssa Healy feels location is irrelevant in title defense
The Australia women's team are the defending champions of the T20 World Cup after defeating South Africa in the final in early 2023.
The Women in Yellow will undoubtedly be among the favorites to retain the title, and it also marks the first major tournament under Alyssa Healy, who took over from Meg Lanning as captain following her international retirement.
"Going there and getting used to those conditions and slow-turning wickets has probably put us in a good place. It's more about what our team looks like, and what people are working on individually headed into a World Cup on the subcontinent," Healy said in the same interaction.
"Whether it is in Bangladesh, or it's not in Bangladesh, I don't think affects us greatly with the make-up of what we've got. We're well prepared for whatever is thrown at us," she concluded
Australia are placed in Group A along with India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand.