Bangladesh to host Zimbabwe for two-match Test series in April

DHAKA: The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Saturday, announced that it will host Zimbabwe for a two-match Test series, scheduled to run from April 20 to May 5.

The two-match series will be Zimbabwe’s first red-ball tour to Bangladesh in five years as they last played a Test against Bangladesh in February 2020, which the hosts won comprehensively by an innings and 106 runs.

The first Test is scheduled to be played at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium from April 20 to 24, while the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong will host the subsequent fixture from April 28 to May 2.

Furthermore, the upcoming series also marks the first instance since March 2024 that Dhaka's Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium is not hosting a Test match.

According to a BCB official, the board preferred to host the home series against Zimbabwe outside of Dhaka as the venue is currently hosting the ongoing Dhaka Premier League – Bangladesh’s traditional list A tournament.

"We are regularly having DPL matches in SBNS and so we decided to play the Test series in Chattogram and Sylhet because there you will get wickets that have got enough rest while it wouldn't have been the case in Dhaka," the BCB official said.

Earlier this week, BCB president Faruque Ahmed had confirmed that they are exploring the possibility of holding a white-ball series with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) beyond the Future Tour Programme (FTP).

“There has been a discussion between the two boards to hold white ball series apart from FTP. The boards are in talks to schedule the series,” Ahmed had said.