The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced on Friday that they are yet to take a final call regarding their upcoming white-ball series against Afghanistan, at the end of the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, in the West Indies and the United States of America.
The Najmul Hossain Shanto-led side, thanks to some marvelous all-round performances with the bat and ball, have qualified for the ‘super eight’ stage of the competition, having beaten Sri Lanka at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, and Netherlands and Nepal sides too, before tasting a defeat in the hands of South Africa in New York.
In their very first second-round game against Australia at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua, Bangladesh didn’t make a great start with a defeat as they find themselves in a must-win situation for the last couple of games, to remain in contention for the semi-final.
Bangladesh plans to push back two-match Test series in 2025
In the last week of March this year, Bangladesh declared that they would play their all-format series against Afghanistan, consisting of two Tests, three ODIs, and as many as T20Is following the T20 World Cup.
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They were expected to feature in 12 Tests in the ongoing year, with their other white-ball assignments but because of the cancellation of the Afghanistan series and the Zimbabwe Test series got rescheduled into five T20Is, Bangladesh would be part of eight Tests.
The Asian side has a very busy schedule at the end of the World Cup, as they would tour Pakistan for a two-match Test series while making a trip to India for two Tests and three ODIs T20Is. In October, during their early home season, they would host South Africa for a two-match Test series.
The Tigers would finish the year with another tour to the Caribbean for another all-format series, consisting of two Tests, three ODIs, and three 20-over games.
Afghanistan Cricket Board was expecting to host Bangladesh in between for an all-format series, in between the latter’s Pakistan and India trips. However because the Shanto side has a very busy schedule in the last half of the year, they planned to postpone the two Tests in 2025.
However, the BCB is still not ready to drain their players after so much cricket in such a short span of time, and that’s why they are yet to decide on the coming Afghanistan series, to be played in Greater Noida.
‘Basically, this was in discussion (playing three ODIs and three T20I against Afghanistan in Noida in July) but yet to take any final decision.’ The BCB chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury expressed during an interview with Cricbuzz on Friday. ‘The series was earlier penciled in FTP but we are yet to finalize anything in this regard.’
The BCB cricket operation chairman however has confirmed that they are yet to finalize the series.
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‘We are yet to confirm the series. The weather isn’t conducive (to play cricket during that season too).’ The BCB cricket operation chairman Jala Yunus remarked to Cricbuzz.
Both teams are in the Super Eight stage of the competition. Just like Bangladesh, Afghanistan too lost their first super-eight game against India, at the Kensington Oval, in Bridgetown, Barbados.
The Rashid Khan-led side, however, is stated to take on the Bangladesh team in three ODIs, which will take place on July 25, 27, and 30 respectively. With the end of the 50-over series, they are going to play the T20I series respectively on August 02, 04 and 06.