Bangladesh domestic players tensed due to lack of 'A tours'

Imagine a domestic structure where there hasn’t been any A team games for about 2 years. The Bangladesh domestic players are finding it hard to make it to the next level with limited opportunities. Ireland A team are likely to visit Bangladesh later this year to play a series against Bangladesh A side, Akram Khan, cricket operations committee chairman of the BCB said on Friday.

Last month, it was reported that the BCB was in talks with Zimbabwe Cricket for the A team series and it looked very much on the cards. Talks between the ZC and the BCB were ongoing when Zimbabwe proposed a different time table for the tour due to their international fixture, and therefore it was called off.

Series called off

“We were in advanced talks with Zimbabwe, but they have a commitment with South Africa. That’s why they proposed a delayed date for the tour. But our team also have other commitments in Zimbabwe’s proposed time table. That’s why we had to cancel talks with Zimbabwe. But now we are negotiating with Ireland A team for a tour. The time has not been confirmed yet but it is likely to happen later this year,” Akram Khan told Dhaka Tribune.

Bangladesh High-Performance team are currently practicing in Mirpur’s Academy ground under the mentorship of Australian coach Simon Helmot. They have been practicing since June this year and recently completed a three-week tour of Australia where they played five one-dayers and a three-day game against Northern Territory Invitational XI.

The HP team won all their games in their Australia tour. Liton Kumar Das and Nazmul Hossain Shanto recently participated in the three-day practice match, contested between Team Tamim and Team Mushfiqur, ahead of the Australia series. The rest of the players are working out their sessions in Mirpur, along with the U-19 team.