The BCCI has decided to delay the Bangladesh Women’s tour to India which was to take place very soon and specific dates for the event have not been released yet. As a result, this is the second series between India and Bangladesh that has been called off since the onset of diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
The political climate between India and Bangladesh changed drastically when a revolution swept over the latter and the new leaders of the province quarrelled, thus, creating a scenario where their powerful neighbour started to experience diplomatic tension with them.
India and Bangladesh relations have taken a giant leap backward, as the BCCI had already called off the tour of Bangladesh last August during the time when the Indian Men’s team was considering taking such a step.
BCCI cancels Bangladesh women’s tour
The India tour of Bangladesh for women, which comprised three ODIs and three T20Is, was initially fixed for December and was part of the ICC Future Tour program. The series is most likely to get cancelled, although it is still unclear whether the cricket boards will take this position publicly.
“The series hasn’t received the clearance,” a BCCI official told HT.
This has become the second series between the two countries which was cancelled due to the political and diplomatic distress between the two countries. Besides the series, the ACC Annual General Meeting, which was also scheduled in Dhaka, saw BCCI officials participating via video calls rather than in person as they were supposed to.
Nonetheless, the two sides have met in different world tournaments, such as the India-Bangladesh match in the Asia Cup Super-4 round, and the Women of India and the Women of Bangladesh in the group stage of the World Cup.
The series was doubtful right from the start as the fate of the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh was to be decided on Monday.
In other words, the respective contest of Women’s cricket could have marked the starting point of the home season in Women’s cricket in India after the World Cup victory, but right away the series was called off.
All in all, the series was really hard to get through even before the Monday verdict, as the exact dates and venues were not revealed, and according to the latest information, no announcements have been made thus far.
Monday will be remembered as the day a major announcement was made regarding Bangladesh, as a tribunal court came out with a ruling asking for the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to be executed.
Hasina, who had fled her country amid political unrest and taken refuge in India, is still in India under the protection of the Indian government; hence, such a ruling would cause even more tension between the two countries.
Indian cricket board is exploring options for a home series swap.
After the BCCI decided to postpone the Men’s series, they had mentioned international cricket commitments as the main reason for not announcing new dates for the series, but this is not true for the women’s cricket, still no dates have been revealed.
Rather, BCCI is said to be seeking other options to swap the series for another opposition in the same window. The series could take place in mid or late December, but it would be a short series since the WPL is set to start in January.
