England likely to host Tigers for first time since 2010
Thursday, 8 June 2023
Bangladesh likely to play Test cricket at Lord's in the 2024-2025 season as the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is planning to host Bangladesh. While England toured Bangladesh for white-ball series last winter, they have not hosted Bangladesh in any format since 2010, according to the British daily newspaper The Telegraph.
England are also planning to host Zimbabwe for the first time in more than 20 years, marking the resumption of cricket ties between the nations.
In both 2024 and 2025, England are only scheduled to play five Test matches in the home summer. A slot could potentially be found in these years to fit in a sixth home Test match, although during the 2024 home summer the T20 World Cup is being staged in West Indies and the United States.
Lord's has a staging agreement to host two Test matches a year - which it has done every summer since 2000 apart from during the pandemic in 2020. Ticket sales were strong for the match against Ireland, highlighting the demand for Test cricket at Lord's even when it does not involve more established nations.
Guy Lavender, the chief executive of Marylebone Cricket Club, confirmed to Telegraph Sport that Lord's hoped to continue to stage two Test matches a year.
"We are very much looking forward to staging two Test matches at Lord's in 2024," Lavender said. "Moving forward, we think there is significant merit in staging two Test matches at Lord's each summer, both in making best use of this incredible venue, as well as generating strong financial returns to support the growth of the game."
Bangladesh do not have any matches in England scheduled on the future tours programme, which runs until March 2027. The strong ticket sales for Bangladesh matches during the 2017 Champions Trophy and 2019 World Cup, and their one-day international series against Ireland at Chelmsford this year, have illustrated the interest in Bangladesh games in England. A tour from Bangladesh, even for a one-off Test, could also help with the ECB's attempts to increase engagement with the British Bangladeshi community.
Richard Gould, the chief executive of the ECB, has highlighted the need for the Test game to be vibrant around the world.