Bangladesh to tour Sri Lanka for three-match Test series in October

Friday, 14 August 2020 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Bangladesh will be locking horns with Asian neighbors, Sri Lanka, in a three-match Test series for the very first time in six years, Bangladesh Cricket Board had confirmed. The series will also mark the international comeback of both sides post the COVID-19 enforced halt to cricketing activities.

According to a report in ESPNCricinfo, the Test squad, as well as the high-performance team, will leave for Colombo on 23 or 24 September. The pre-Test stint will serve as the isolation period, with the Sri Lankan government mandating a 14-day quarantine period for the visiting team.

The BCB will be bearing the expenses of the traveling squads for the first three weeks of the tour, leading to the commencement of the 1st Test from 24 October.

BCB Cricket Operations chairman, Akram Khan confirmed that the tour will consist of three Tests. All three Tests are expected to be played in Colombo. The BCB had also proposed a three-match T20I series but that is unlikely to go ahead.

”It is exciting to play three Tests but it will also be a difficult time as they (the players) haven’t played in last five or six months. They will also have to go through a lot of testing (for the coronavirus). We are hopeful that it all goes well and according to plan,” Akram Khan told ESPNCricinfo.

“We will bear the costs of the first three weeks of the tour, including the High Performance side, which was also scheduled a tour to Sri Lanka in July. Now both teams will travel together and play matches during the initial period,”he added.

Recently, Sri Lankan Cricket (SLC) had canceled the inaugural edition of the Lankan Premier League till mid-November. Due to the mandatory 14-day quarantine period, which would have lengthened the duration of the tournament.

Commenting on the prospect of the bilateral series against Bangladesh, SLC chief de Silva said that they are negotiating with the BCB to reduce one play Test and then play the T20Is

“It is more or less (finalized). We are actually negotiating. They (BCB) want to play three T20Is and three Tests. So we are actually negotiating with them to reduce one Test and then play the T20Is. We will be able to confirm it within a day or two,” de Silva was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo. The Test series could mark the comeback of former Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan, whose ban is set to end on October 29th.