DHAKA: Bangladesh’s cricket board has announced that the upcoming tour by Afghanistan has been trimmed to prevent player “burnout” ahead of the Asia Cup and World Cup tournaments.
Originally scheduled to play two Tests, three one-day internationals (ODIs), and three Twenty20 internationals (T20Is) during their tour in June, Afghanistan will now participate in one Test, three ODIs, and two T20Is, split into two phases in June and July.
Jalal Yunus, the cricket operations chief, explained that while Afghanistan was eager to play all the matches, the decision to reduce the number of games was made to protect the players from burnout. With this being a World Cup year and the Asia Cup approaching, the Bangladesh Cricket Board felt it was crucial to keep the players fresh and avoid fatigue.
Solitary Test match between Afghanistan and Bangladesh
The solitary Test match between Afghanistan and Bangladesh is scheduled to take place from June 14 to 18. Afterward, the Afghan team will return home to celebrate the Eid al-Adha festival before coming back to Bangladesh to complete the series in Chittagong and Sylhet by July 18. Notably, Afghanistan has previously won a Test match against Bangladesh by a significant margin of 224 runs in Chittagong back in 2019.
The Asia Cup is set to be held in Pakistan in September, followed by the World Cup in India the following month. However, there remains uncertainty surrounding the participation of India and Pakistan in each other’s countries due to political tensions.
The decision to reduce the number of matches in Afghanistan’s tour of Bangladesh reflects a strategic approach by the cricket board to ensure the players’ well-being and avoid overexertion ahead of important tournaments. The revised schedule aims to strike a balance between allowing the Afghan team to gain valuable playing experience while safeguarding their fitness and performance in the upcoming major cricket events.
