107 days, 16 matches for Tigers

Bangladesh men’s postponed home Test series against India has left them with a packed 107-day schedule, featuring five Tests, three ODIs and eight T20Is against Afghanistan, West Indies and South Africa.

The busy stretch will run from 29 September to 13 January, following a relatively quiet September for the national team.

Tigers were originally scheduled to host India for two Tests in September. However, the series has been postponed after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) requested a schedule change, meaning Bangladesh will now have only one T20 match at the Asian Games in September.

The hectic run begins with the Asian Games quarter-final on 29 September. If Litton Das and his team reach the semi-finals and final, they will play two more matches.

There will be little respite in October, however, after the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, Bangladesh will travel to the United Arab Emirates for a one-off Test against Afghanistan from 9 to 13 October, Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) confirmed on Tuesday.

They will then feature in a T20I tri-series against Afghanistan and Zimbabwe from 17 to 23 October. It will be Bangladesh’s first overseas tri-series in seven years.

After returning home, Najmul Hossain Shanto’s side will host West Indies for two Tests. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced the schedule on the same day.

The first Test, part of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship cycle, will be played in Mirpur from 28 October to 1 November, followed by the second in Sylhet from 5 to 9 November.

Then, West Indies will arrive in Dhaka on 18 October. Before the Test series, the Caribbean will play a three-day warm-up match at the Bashundhara Sports City Cricket Ground from 22 to 24 October.

The Bashundhara Sports Complex is also growing in importance as an international cricket venue. Earlier this year, Sri Lanka U-17 became the first overseas side to play at the venue when they featured in a three-day match.

Last month, Bangladesh U-23 played a three-match ODI series against Malaysia at the same ground. The West Indies will become the first full member side to play at the venue when they take on Bangladesh there in October.

After the West Indies series, the green and red will travel to South Africa for two Tests, three ODIs and three T20Is. The schedule for the series included in the ICC Future Tours Programme has been finalized, cited by ESPNcricinfo.

The first Test will be played in Johannesburg from 15 to 19 November, with the second in Centurion from 23 to 27 November.

The three-match ODI series will be held on 1, 4 and 7 January, while the T20Is are scheduled for 10, 12 and 13 January.

In just over three months, Bangladesh will therefore move across formats and countries at a relentless pace, leaving little room for rest between one assignment and the next.