No India as BCB looks ahead to NZ, SL

[chinaman]

Bangladesh Cricket Board were yet to find out whether India is going to tour Bangladesh as they drafted the schedule of the other three home series against New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in a meeting of the Cricket Committee held at the BCB Office in Gulshan on Saturday.

Bangladesh national team will play four consecutive home series against New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and India after the tour of West Indies in May-June.

Bangladesh will leave the country on May 8 for near month-long series where they play two Tests and three one-day international matches against the Carribeans.

India had originally rescheduled their April tour to Bangladesh, to December, however, if BCB fail to organise it in due time, the tour may be pushed ahead another four months.

India cancelled their visit to Bangladesh for the unexpected visit of Pakistan. A source at BCB further revealed that India was also not interested to visit Bangladesh in December.

Ali Asif Khan, the cricket committee chairman, however, said that BCB were still trying to get India and December and everything would be finalised once BCB boss Ali Asghar meets Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) chief Jagmohan Dalmiya in India, in July.

If India decide not to come to Bangladesh in 2004, the cricket fans of Bangladesh will not miss out too much as New Zealand tour Bangladesh from October 16 to November 13, 2004. The team will have only a week’s rest after that before Sri Lanka arrives Bangladesh on November 20, and leaves on December 11.

In 2005, Bangladesh will play their first series of the year at home against Zimbabwe from January 8 to January 29.
India may then tour Bangladesh on the last week of the March if the series does not take place in December.

NewAge >>

[sage]

Thats good! push India tour as back as possible. Lets have some win by these time.

[Zobair]

Yeah I am glad we are not facing India right now. With their current form they might score the first 1000 run innings in test history against us (add to that our depleted pace attack in the absence of Masri, and Indians' ability to play spin) ... let us get some more tours under our belt..and hopefully when the Aussies tour India they will dent some of this "new" Indian confidence, in time for us to put a good show!

[fwullah]

I wonder if we can pull off our first ever win at home, against either of the 4 teams that we'll be facing - NZ, SL, ZIM, and IND.

Against New Zealand, and Zimbabwe, there is a strong possibility if we take the home advantage and the conditions for granted; besides with Streak gone, we can also look at the Zimbabwe tour of Bangladesh with pretty high hopes.

Against Sri Lanka, may be, or may be not, depending on Muralitharan and the team spirit of Sri Lanka as well as ours, and like you said, we'd be happy to face India if and when they're not having such great times as they're now.

[AsifTheManRahman]

Sri Lanka has already scored 1000 runs against India right? I'm not sure though....

[chinaman]

I think playing India will boost our performance. Remember the aftermath of Australia tour? If we had to play India this month, I'd have serious hope for multiple test wins before the end of 2004.

[reverse_swing]

952-6d Sri Lanka v India Colombo (RPS) 1997