Bangladesh National Cricket Team will play a Tri-Nation Series in New Zealand. The schedule was announced by the Bangladesh Cricket Board in a press release on May 17, 2022. The series will provide ideal preparation for the National Team for the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia.
New Zealand, Bangladesh, and Pakistan are the three teams competing for the Tri-Series trophy. This series also marks the return of the traditional Tri-Nation series tournaments. It is something that cricket fans have not witnessed for a long time.
Before traveling to New Zealand, the Bangladesh national team was scheduled to hold a camp in Adelaide, Australia. But now they will play the Tri-Nation series in New Zealand and warm-up games. So, the plan to hold a camp in Australia before the T20 World Cup 2022 has been dropped by the BCB.
The team then flies to New Zealand for the Tri-Nation series. In mid-October, they will return to Australia to compete in the T20 World Cup 2022.
Team News leading up to the T20 World Cup 2022
Bangladesh made a few changes to their national team before the Asia Cup 2022 tournament that concluded recently. Sridharan Sriram was nominated as the Technical Director of the team. All-rounder Shakib al Hasan was appointed as the new captain of the Bangladesh Test and T20I teams.
The team flew to UAE for the Asia Cup 2022 but failed to make their mark in the tournament. They lost their first match of the group stage of Asia Cup 2022 to the rising Afghanistan team by 7 wickets. In the second match of their group stage, they lost to rivals Sri Lanka by 2 wickets in a close game. By doing so, they eventually bowed out of the tournament.
The Asia Cup 2022 would have been an ideal platform for their preparations for the T20 World Cup 2022. Also, the players like Litton Das will make their comeback to the side after injury. So, they would hope to perform well in the Tri-Nation series before the T20 World Cup 2022.
Tri-Nation Series Schedule and Teams
The Tri-Nation T20I series featuring hosts New Zealand, Bangladesh, and Pakistan starts on October 7, 2022. All the matches will be played at the Hagley Oval, Christchurch. All 3 teams will play against each other twice. The top two teams with the most wins will play in the final of the Tri-Series.
The first match will be played between Bangladesh and Pakistan on October 7, 2022, at 7:30 AM IST. The second T20I takes place between host New Zealand and Pakistan at the same venue on October 8, 2022, at 11:30 AM IST. The third T20I of the tournament will see New Zealand and Bangladesh play each other. The match takes place on October 9, 2022, at 11:30 AM.
The fourth T20I takes place between New Zealand and Pakistan on 11 October 2022 and starts at 7:30 AM IST. The fifth T20I again takes place between New Zealand and Bangladesh at 7:30 AM IST on 12 October 2022. Bangladesh will play their final T20I match which is the 6th T20I match of the series against Pakistan. The match takes place on October 13, 2022, at 7:30 AM IST.
The top two teams with the highest points will qualify to play in the final. The final will be played on 14 October 2022 at 7:30 AM IST. New Zealand being the hosts might have a slight advantage over others. But Pakistan can’t be counted out. Especially in the T20I format where they have excelled. So it will be a big test for this Bangladesh team to play against the top two sides, leading up to the T20 WC 2022.
Tamim Iqbal’s uncertainty for the T20 World Cup 2022
The Bangladesh Cricket Board is in direct talks with veteran opening batsman Tamim Iqbal regarding his availability for the T20 World Cup 2022. Iqbal urged Bangladesh Cricket Board not to consider selection in T20Is for the next six months due to personal reasons.
As a result, Tamim might not even participate in the Tri-Nation Series to be held in New Zealand. The series takes place just before the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. The BCB has reiterated that they respect his decision. Also, they will allow the senior opening batsman to complete his six-month break.
“After completing the six months break, Tamim will officially let you know about his decision and you will know through him about his plan. I cannot say anything about it” the Bangladesh Cricket Board(BCB) cricket operations chairman Jalal Younis notified the media.
