Zimbabwe will arrive in Bangladesh on April 15 for a two-match Test series.
The series schedule follows the structure of Bangladesh’s Test series against Sri Lanka last year. Just like that series, no Test matches have been scheduled at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, the country’s premier cricket venue.
Zimbabwe’s squad is set to land in Bangladesh on April 15 for the Test series. However, there won’t be any warm-up matches before the series kicks off.
The first Test will be played in Sylhet, with the match at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium starting on April 20. The second Test is scheduled for April 28 at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram.
This series is not part of the ICC Test Championship.
Originally, the series was supposed to take place last year. However, due to preparations for the T20 World Cup, the Test series was postponed, and the teams played a five-match T20I series instead. Now, the postponed series is finally happening.
Zimbabwe last visited Bangladesh for a Test match in 2020, where Bangladesh secured a victory by an innings margin.
Before that, Zimbabwe had played four Test series in Bangladesh—in 2001, 2005, 2014, and 2018. Out of 10 Test matches in Bangladesh, Zimbabwe has won only twice. Their first victory came in 2001 during their golden era, led by players like Andy Flower, Grant Flower, Heath Streak, Stuart Carlisle, and Henry Olonga. The second win came in 2018, when Zimbabwe stunned Bangladesh in Sylhet with a 151-run victory.
Last year, Bangladesh played two Tests outside Dhaka against Sri Lanka, but the experience wasn’t great, as they lost both matches.
This time, the main reason for scheduling both Tests outside Dhaka is the ongoing Dhaka Premier League (DPL). BCB’s Cricket Operations In-Charge Shahriar Nafees explained that the team management had no specific request regarding venues.
“The Dhaka Premier League will continue until April 21. Preparing the field for a Test match within six to seven days after that is not ideal. That’s why we decided to hold both Tests outside Dhaka. The team management had no particular demand; it was mainly a decision by the grounds committee regarding venue allocation,” he said.
