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Zimbabwe to tour Bangladesh in November 2015 after Australia pull out

Zimbabwe will play a two-Test series against Bangladesh.

Bangladesh © AFP
Bangladesh will hope that they can put in a better performance in the longest format too © AFP

Dhaka: Bangladesh announced Wednesday it would host Zimbabwe for a two-Test series in November 2015 after Australia postponed a planned visit this month due to security concerns.  Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hasan said Zimbabwe had agreed to tour that month although no date had been finalised. “Zimbabwe have principally agreed to tour Bangladesh in November. We will finalise the date with Zimbabwe officials during next week’s International Cricket Council [ICC] meeting in Dubai,” Nazmul told reporters.  Zimbabwe were originally scheduled to visit Bangladesh from next January 11-February 7 for two Tests, three One-Day Internationals (ODI) and three Twenty20 Internationals (T20I). READ: Bangladesh cricket hopes to resolve security issues with ICC

But the BCB president said the series would now be spilt in two parts. Zimbabwe would play the Tests in November and return in January for the ODIs and T20s.   Nazmul said following a meeting of the BCB board of directors that Bangladesh would also bid for the Asia Cup Twenty20 tournament, which could be held in February next year just ahead of the ICC World Twenty20 in India. READ: Australia cancel Bangladesh tour, leaving Steven Smith disappointed

The BCB is under pressure to bring back international cricket to the country. South Africa’s women’s cricket team also postponed a planned tour later this month, citing security concerns.  Australia called off its series after official warnings that militants may attack Western interests. READ: Bangladesh A name squad for 2015 South Arica, Zimbabwe tour

The postponement comes amid heightened tension in Bangladesh after an Italian and a Japanese were killed in separate attacks claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group.  In other incidents three Islamic attackers attempted Monday to slit a Christian pastor’s throat in a mainly Muslim town in northern Bangladesh.

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