BD trying to arrange series against Nepal or Netherlands before Asia Cup

Agency:

Following the conclusion of the T20I series against Pakistan, Bangladesh’s national team currently has no official matches lined up before the Asia Cup.

With India postponing their limited-overs series against Bangladesh, questions have been raised regarding the Tigers’ preparation for the continental tournament. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), however, is actively working to make the most of this gap in the calendar.

After the final T20I against Pakistan, captain Litton Das expressed that an additional series would have been ideal to fine-tune the squad before heading into the Asia Cup.

Most international teams are already committed to busy August schedules, making it challenging to arrange such a series.

However, on Saturday, BCB Cricket Operations Chairman Nazmul Abedin Fahim confirmed that discussions are underway with Nepal and the Netherlands regarding the potential arrangement of a T20I series.

While speaking to the media, he said, “Since India is not coming at the moment, we are trying to see if we can bring in another team. The bigger teams are currently unavailable due to their packed schedules. We think this could happen with another country-perhaps the Netherlands or Nepal. We are making efforts in that direction, though I don’t know yet whether they will agree to come.”

At the same time, the BCB is mindful of player workload and believes rest is essential after a string of back-to-back series.

The players are currently on a 10-12-day break, after which preparations for the Asia Cup will begin in early August. The camp is expected to include a high-intensity skills program to focus on individual improvements.

Given the lack of time during the packed international calendar, this pre-Asia Cup window is being seen as a prime opportunity to sharpen technical skills.