Team India could tour Bangladesh for a white-ball series in the first half of September, with the two cricket boards currently in talks to schedule an itinerary, according to a report. This comes as a major development after India refused to tour Bangladesh last year due to rising political tensions, which was followed by Bangladesh’s decision to skip the T20 World Cup in India earlier this year after Mustafizur Rahman was ousted from the Indian Premier League (IPL).Â
According to a report in The Times of India (TOI), the white-ball tour is pending approval from the Indian government, but the two boards are working behind the scenes to ensure everything is in place before the series gets the nod.
The report added that if the tour receives approval from the Indian government, India could push back the series against Afghanistan, which is scheduled to be held in Delhi.
“If the series against Afghanistan is pushed back, that could open up a two-week window in Sept. The Afghanistan series, to be hosted by Afghanistan Cricket Board, was scheduled to start from Sept 13,” the report said.
The report also mentioned that the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has kept all its venues free for the first half of September, while the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) prefers Dhaka and Chittagong as the two venues for the series.
“BCB is also fine with the idea of holding all matches at one venue. They ideally prefer three T20Is at one venue and three ODIs in another. Dhaka and Chattogram are the leading venues. Playing just one format was a possibility too. The two boards held discussions on the sidelines of the recent ICC meet in London. India’s commitment to Afghanistan is a hurdle that was discussed. But the tour is subject to govt approval,” the report quoted a source as saying.
In the meantime, preparations for the T20I series against Afghanistan have been pushed back.
The report also mentioned that the BCCI is ready to move on from the bygones and wants to build healthy relations with other cricket associations.
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