Australia is set to tour Bangladesh for a five-match T20I series in August after Cricket Australia was satisfied with the arrangements.
Bangladesh Cricket Board has announced Australia’s tour of Bangladesh starting from August 2.
The cricket operations chairman Akram Khan confirmed that Australia will visit Bangladesh as scheduled for a series comprising five T20 matches ahead of the T20 World Cup 2021.
Australia has refused to tour the Covid-19 red zones in the past. But it is understood that Cricket Australia is satisfied with the arrangements that BCB have put in place regarding the bio-secure bubble. The two boards came to a final agreement on Tuesday. This will be Australia’s first Bangladesh tour since 2017.
“Yes, the tour is confirmed and they (Australia) are coming to play the five-match T20I series,”
Akram stated.
The country has seen a huge spike in Covid-19 cases, forcing the Bangladesh government to announce a countrywide lockdown from July 23.
The Bangladesh cricket team is currently on the Zimbabwe tour where three T20Is are remaining. Australia are in the Caribbean for their West Indies tour with two more ODIs to be played. Both the teams will arrive in Dhaka on July 29. The Australian team will take a chartered flight from the Caribbean. The players of both the teams will be placed into three-day quarantine in hotel rooms upon their arrival.
The BCB was originally planning to host five matches at two venues, Dhaka and Chattogram. However, Australia insisted on having all the matches at one venue due to the Covid-19 scare. It is reported that Australians are also unwilling to go through immigration center upon arrival at Dhaka and want to head straight to the hotel to avoid any chances of Covid infection.
It is learnt that both the teams will be allowed to train at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium only on August 1.
Earlier, the CA had announced the squad for the West Indies and Bangladesh series, although they had not confirmed the Bangladesh tour. The five T20I matches are slated to take place on August 2, 3, 5, 7 and 8.
