Bangladesh set for historic England Test tour after 17 years

Bangladesh is set to play a Test match on English soil for the first time since 2010. According to a report by The Guardian, the long wait is expected to end in late May next year, with the English side hosting Bangladesh for a single Test match.

The British newspaper reported that England is selecting Bangladesh as an opponent for a preparatory match ahead of the home Ashes series. While the venue for the match has not yet been finalized, the historic Lord's Cricket Ground is being discussed as a potential location.

If this match takes place, Bangladesh will play three Test matches against England within a span of just four months. Under the current ICC Future Tours Programme (FTP), England is scheduled to tour Bangladesh in February next year to play two Test matches in Mirpur and Chattogram as part of the World Test Championship (WTC).

The venue for the England-hosted match ultimately depends on another factor—the location of the World Test Championship final scheduled for next June. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has not yet finalized the venue for the final.

The ECB holds an agreement with the ICC to host the World Test Championship final every two years until 2031. Per the terms of the contract, the final must be held in London, and Lord's was selected as the venue for the previous two editions. However, due to concerns over pitch quality, the ECB is currently considering moving the final to The Oval.

England is scheduled to play a total of nine Test matches against Bangladesh and Australia next year. After completing the two-Test tour of Bangladesh in February, the team will travel to Australia. A special Test match will be held in Melbourne in March to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Test cricket.

This will be followed by the discussed Test against Bangladesh in May, and the five-match Ashes series against Australia in June and July.

Within the first decade of gaining Test status, Bangladesh toured England twice—playing two Tests in 2005 and another two in 2010. Since then, the hosts have not invited Bangladesh for a Test tour, nor has it been included in the ICC itinerary.

Conversely, over the last 16 years, England has toured Bangladesh for a Test series only once—in 2016, a series that ended in a 1-1 draw.