The New Zealand ‘A’ team is set to arrive in Bangladesh on May 1 to play three one-day matches and two four-day games.
This will be their first-ever tour of Bangladesh, and they will begin their campaign in Sylhet. After completing their matches there, they will travel to Dhaka for the final game.
On Tuesday, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced the full schedule for New Zealand ‘A’ team’s month-long tour through an official press release.
Over the past few years, Bangladesh’s national team has frequently played series against New Zealand, both at home and away. In 2022, Bangladesh also played a series against New Zealand’s women’s team.
However, bilateral series between the ‘A’ teams or age-level sides of the two countries are extremely rare. The Kiwis will have two days of practice after arriving in Bangladesh on May 1.
The tour will kick off with the first one-day match on May 5 at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, followed by the second match on May 7 at the same venue. The third and final one-day match will take place on May 10 at the outer ground of the Sylhet stadium.
The four-day series will begin on May 14, with the first match being played at the main stadium in Sylhet. The second and final four-day match will take place in Dhaka, starting on May 21 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur.
Originally, this tour was scheduled for October last year. However, due to security concerns arising from the country’s changing political situation, New Zealand Cricket decided to postpone the tour.
Now, after nearly seven months, they are finally making the trip. This series also marks the return of Bangladesh ‘A’ team to competitive cricket after six months, as their last appearance was in the Emerging Teams Asia Cup in Sri Lanka in October.