Bangladesh will play 10 T20Is against Australia and New Zealand at home ahead of the World T20I 2021.
Bangladesh Cricket Board cricket operations committee chairman Akram Khan informed that the matches have been planned in order to prepare for the world event.
The BCB director further informed that a T20I has been added to the fixture in Bangladesh’s tour of Zimbabwe by omitting a Test match.
As per the schedule, the World T20I 2021 is set to take place in India in October-November.
However, severe surge in Covid-19 cases has put the tournament in jeopardy.
According to media reports, the tournament is likely to be shifted to the United Arab Emirates provided the situation in India doesn't improve.
A decision on it is due in coming days.
“We were supposed to play a three-match T20I series against Australia, which will now consist of five games. They [Cricket Australia] have agreed to this. The series will be eight- or nine-day long. We are making all efforts to get the team prepared for the World T20I,” said former Bangladesh captain Akram to the media at Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium Tuesday.
“Whether the tournament [World T20I] will be held in India or elsewhere depends on International Cricket Council and Board for Control of Cricket in India. It will take place in Dubai if not India. We aren't thinking of that, rather focusing on our preparation,” he added.
Bangladesh were also scheduled to play three T20Is against New Zealand, which has now been converted into a five-match affair, informed Akram.
New Zealand are due to tour Bangladesh for the series, scheduled between August 18 to September 4.
The Australia series is slated to be held from September 6 to 14.
Bangladesh in June are set to travel to Zimbabwe for the first time in eight years.
The tour had initially involved two Tests, three ODIs and two T20Is.
But a mutual discussion between BCB and Zimbabwe Cricket has been made to reduce one Test and add a T20I to the series.
Akram also informed that the BCB is not in favor of arranging a series in the free slot that has emerged due to the postponement of Asia Cup 2021.
The board is rather willing to rest the cricketers given the hectic schedule they are already going through amid bio-secured bubble.
The Asia Cup scheduled for 2021 was postponed as all four major Asian sides have packed schedules until the end of the year.
The tournament was set to be hosted by Sri Lanka mid-year, having already been pushed back from 2020, but will now happen in 2023 as the Asian Cricket Council confirmed in a statement Sunday.
