Bangladesh were expected to play the highest number of matches in a year across formats in 2020, before the Covid-19 situation changed the world.
The Tigers took part in only nine international matches last year due to the pandemic, with most of the series getting postponed. They toured Pakistan for a three-match T20I series and the first of two Tests in January last year. Bangladesh then hosted Zimbabwe in February-March for a Test, three ODIs and two T20Is. Since then, they have not played any international cricket — the remaining Test against Pakistan of the World Test Championship was the first to get postponed due to the pandemic.
Bangladesh’s scheduled tour of Ireland in May, where the visitors were to take part in three ODIs and four T20Is, the home series against Australia in June for a two-match Test series, the home series against New Zealand in August-September comprising two Test matches, and the two-match Test series in Sri Lanka were also postponed.
In the year 2021, the schedule for the Tigers is expected to be jam-packed yet again.
Bangladesh will return to international cricket with the upcoming home series against West Indies this month, which will comprise two Tests under the ICC Test Championship along with a three-match ODI series, which will also be under the ICC’s ODI Championship.
Bangladesh are then expected to take part in the Asia Cup in July, which will be followed by the home series against England where the visitors will play a three-match ODI and three-match T20I series in October. Bangladesh will then travel to India to play the ICC World T20 in October-November.
There will not be much easing up after that as Bangladesh will host Pakistan in November for two Tests and three T20Is, which will be followed by another two-match home Test series against Sri Lanka in the latter stages of 2021.
Bangladesh, according to their Future Tours Programme, will be touring New Zealand in December to play two Tests and three T20Is to complete a busy year .
Meanwhile, the BCB will also look to reschedule the postponed series against Australia, Ireland and Pakistan.
“It is expected to be a busy year for Bangladesh in 2021… We are scheduled to play a lot of matches across formats. Apart from the scheduled series in 2021 we will also look to find the windows for the postponed series of 2020,” Akram Khan, BCB’s cricket operations committee chairman, told the media.
