Off-Season Tour to Australia, Bangladesh Face Test Challenge at New Venues

After a wait of 23 years, Bangladesh are set to don the whites once again on Australian soil. The two boards have finalized the schedule for the two-match Test series, which was part of the pre-arranged Future Tours Programme (FTP). The series, scheduled for August, will mark the beginning of a new chapter for the Tigers in Australia.

The tour will also signal the return of Test cricket to Marrara Stadium for the first time since 2004. At the same time, Great Barrier Reef Arena will host a Test match for the very first time in its history.

According to the schedule, the opening Test will be played in Darwin from August 13 to 17, while the second and final Test will take place in Mackay from August 22 to 26. Cricket Australia has arranged the series during the off-season, utilizing relatively new and less frequently used venues.

The two sides last met in a Test series in 2017. Prior to that, Bangladesh toured Australia in 2003. The series was originally scheduled to be held in Bangladesh in 2020, but it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Following the Bangladesh series, Australia will tour South Africa, where they are set to play three Tests along with an ODI series against Zimbabwe. They will then return home to host England in a white-ball series and New Zealand in a Test series. Early next year, Australia will travel to India for a five-match Test series. In March, they are also scheduled to play the historic 150th anniversary Test against England in Melbourne.

Before all that, however, Australia are expected to visit Bangladesh in June for a limited-overs series.