Zimbabwe will arrive in Bangladesh on April 15
BCB releases itinerary of the series, no match in Mirpur
Sunday, 9 March 2025
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced on Saturday that Zimbabwe will arrive on their shores on April 15 to play a two-match Test series, report agencies.
It will be Zimbabwe's first Test tour to Bangladesh in five years as they last played a Test in Bangladesh in February 2020 with the hosts winning the one-off match by an innings and 106 runs.
The opening Test is scheduled at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium from April 20 while the series concluding Test will be played at Chattogram's Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium from April 28.
The last time Dhaka's Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium (SBNS) did not host any Test match was in March 2024 when Sri Lanka played a two-match Test series in Sylhet and Chattogram. A BCB official told the online sports portal on Saturday that since the SBNS is hosting matches of the ongoing Dhaka Premier League, the country's traditional list A tournament, the board preferred to play the Tests outside Dhaka considering they can give better wickets.
"We are regularly having DPL matches in SBNS and so we decided to play the Test series in Chattogram and Sylhet because there you will get wickets that have got enough rest while it wouldn't have been the case in Dhaka," said the official.
Zimbabwe have had a rough time in Tests recently. They have lost eight out of their last ten Tests, and drawn two. Zimbabwe have played two Tests so far this year - one-off games against Afghanistan and Ireland in Bulawayo - and lost both. Their last win in Tests came four years ago in March 2021, when they beat Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi.
Bangladesh, meanwhile, have had Test success only overseas of late. They won 2-0 in Pakistan, before sharing the series 1-1 in the West Indies. Bangladesh haven't won a home Test since November 2023, when they beat New Zealand in Sylhet. They lost 2-0 to both Sri Lanka and South Africa at home in 2024.
The last time Bangladesh hosted a Test against Zimbabwe was in February 2020, when they beat the visitors by an innings and 106 runs. The last time the two teams played each other in a Test was in July 2021, with Bangladesh winning by 220 runs in Harare.
Overall, Bangladesh hold an 8-7 edge over Zimbabwe in 18 Tests between the sides. Zimbabwe's last Test win against Bangladesh had come in 2018.