Bangladesh to play India twice in ICC's proposed two-tier Test league

Champions Trophy semi-finalists, Bangladesh will play two series (home and away) against India during 2019-2023 as per the International Cricket Council‘s (ICC) proposed Test league. In all, they will play 12 Test series as per the schedule for the league with no upper limit. The Test league is slated to kickoff after the 2019 World Cup.

The Bangladeshi Tigers will play against Australia, India, Sri Lanka, West Indies, New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa. However, no Test series has been planned with England. As per the proposed schedule, Bangladesh’s first opponent in the league will be Australia. The last series will be against the Proteas in 2023 in South Africa.

Format of the proposed two-tier Test League

ICC in February proposed to introduce Two divisions of Test cricket, with seven teams in Division One and five in Division Two. Relegation and promotion would take place at the end of a two-year cycle with no exemptions. This would mean an increase in the number of nations playing Test cricket from currently 10 to 12.

Also, it would provide a better opportunity for nations such as Ireland and Afghanistan, who have been doing consistently well in the shorter formats in the recent past but have not been given any clear pathway to play the longest format of the game.

A total of nine teams will play each other over a period of the two-year league, culminating with a playoff between the top two teams. Zimbabwe, Ireland, and Afghanistan will also play each of the top teams at least once during the cycle. To keep the league unbiased, each team has to face every other twice (in home/away format), just like the current four-year FTP cycle. This means that each team needs to play the eight teams over a minimum of 16 Test matches over two years.

ICC chief executive David Richardson had earlier in an interview said, “There’s a general realization now that, if we’re going to keep Test cricket going well into the future, we can’t just say it’s going to survive on its own. Unless we can give some meaning to these series beyond the rankings and a trophy, then interest in Test cricket will continue to waver.”