With Bangladesh missing out on the T20 World Cup, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is taking steps to keep national players match-ready ahead of the Pakistan tour. Following the three-team ‘Odommo T20 Cup’, the BCB now plans a BCL one day tournament featuring senior national players.
Pakistan are due to tour Dhaka in the second week of March, shortly after the T20 World Cup concludes. To ensure the national team is fully prepared, the BCL will be played in a 50-over format, providing players with valuable match practice, according to Cricbuzz.
Initially, reports suggested Bangladesh and Pakistan would play a three-match T20I series, but Cricbuzz has confirmed that March will now feature a three-match ODI series, followed by a two-match Test series in May. The tournament committee has proposed the BCL one day format specifically to ready the players for the ODIs.
The BCL had originally been scheduled for the third week of February with Under-23 cricketers forming part of the national pipeline. That edition may now be postponed, with senior players participating instead in the one-day competition.
Abu Imam Mohammad Kawser, manager of the BCB tournament committee, said: “We had planned an Under-23 BCL in February, but the cricket operations department wants national players to be in action ahead of the Pakistan ODI series. The Under-23 competition will be held at another suitable time.”
The BCL one day tournament is expected to start on 22 or 23 February, with the final scheduled for the first week of March. The opening three rounds will likely be hosted in Rajshahi and Bogura, with the final taking place at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur.
A separate four-day BCL may also be organised later as preparation for the Test series, with Central, East, North and South Zone teams competing over two rounds.
