BCB Confirms Hosting T20 Series against AUS, NZ

Bangladesh is going to host Australia for a three-match Twenty20 international series in October, confirmed a Bangladesh Cricket Board official on Wednesday.

BCB official added that New Zealand is expected to arrive before the Australia series to play the same number of T20I matches.

Both the teams are expected to feature in those T20I series as part of their preparation for the upcoming ICC World T20, scheduled in India in October.

''Australia is coming (in early October) and that is confirmed,'' said BCB chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury.

''New Zealand is expected to arrive before the Australia series,'' he added.

Nizamuddin said that England will come after the Australia series as per the FTP that included three ODIs along with three T20Is.

Although Nizamuddin did not confirm anything regarding a possible tri-nation series involving the hosts and two other nations, he did not completely rule out the possibility also.

''The England series is already in the FTP. We don't want to comment anything about the T20I tri-nation tournament because everyone needs to agree and we can get a clear picture when we get near to that time slot,'' he said.

BCB officials said that their playing Test series against Australia and New Zealand, which were postponed due to the corona pandemic, is very much unlikely.

New Zealand was expected to tour in August-September last year while Australia was scheduled to arrive in June last year.

The only time slot available is in April before the World Test Championship cut out time for qualification and BCB is eyeing to have a series against Sri Lanka.

''I don't think there is any possibility to have those Test matches (against Australia and New Zealand that were postponed due to the corona) as the final (cut out time) is in April,'' said Nizamuddin.

''We have a time slot available in April to play a Test series against Sri Lanka and we are trying to fix a date to play the Test series at that point,'' he said.

Bangladesh's Test tour of Sri Lanka was earlier postponed last year for the same corona pandemic.