England aim for Bangladesh home cricket series before 2027

England will try to shoehorn a home series with Bangladesh into their packed schedule before 2027 with ECB chiefs conscious of how India and Australia fixtures have come to dominate the calendar

  • England have not hosted Bangladesh in a bilateral series since 2010
  • More lucrative fixtures against India and Australia are increasingly prevalent
  • ECB chairman Richard Thompson held talks with Bangladesh officials  

England are trying to find room in their congested schedule to host Bangladesh for the first time since 2010.

Richard Thompson, the chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, held talks with the Bangladesh chief executive Nizam Uddin Chowdhury and other board officials during this limited-overs tour and it is hoped a gap can be found over the next four years.

The disparity in which opponents England play is an issue that Thompson inherited when he took up the ECB role last September but he is understood to acknowledge that it would not be a great look to go the best part of two decades without welcoming a fellow full member country for bilateral matches.

Cricket’s smaller nations are being marginalised, partly due to the international game’s big three of England, India and Australia playing each other more often across all formats due to the huge commercial returns such series provide.

Indeed, this summer’s Ashes will be the fourth such series since Bangladesh last toured our shores, and the Australians have also been over for four separate limited-overs tours. 

Jos Buttler (left) and Shakib Al Hasan (right), the captains of England and Bangladesh respectively, pose with the trophy ahead of their ongoing T20 series 

ECB chairman Richard Thompson (left) has held talks with Bangladesh cricket officials over arranging a home series with the Asian country in the next four years

Jos Buttler and the England team celebrate their victory in the ODI series in Bangladesh

India have played four Test campaigns in England in the 13-year period, in addition to a white-ball visit last summer.

With a huge Bangladeshi community in the UK, crowds would be potential sell-outs and a test of the appetite for tickets will come in May when Ireland use Chelmsford as a home venue for three one-day internationals against Tamim Iqbal’s team that carry World Cup qualification points.

Ireland need to beat Bangladesh 3-0 to pip South Africa to the final qualifying place for October’s main event in India, thus avoiding June’s qualification tournament, and the Irish hierarchy believe it is prudent to move the matches to the south-east of England from Dublin to reduce the chances of washouts scuppering them.

The format of any such matches between England and Bangladesh has been left open but England most recently played home Tests against them way back in 2010, winning 2-0. 

The teams then drew 1-1 in Bangladesh in 2016, but under international cricket’s future tours programme, upon the conclusion of three Twenty20s next week, they are not due to play them again outside of ICC knockout tournaments until February 2027 when a two-match series here completes the 2025-27 World Test Championship itinerary for each country.

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