By: Aswathy Nair
AUSTRALIA’s Test tour of Bangladesh in June has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic and both boards will work to reschedule the series in the future.
The two-match series, which was due to count towards the World Test Championship, has been called off due to health concerns and travel restrictions caused by the coronavirus.
Cricket Australia (CA) said in a statement rescheduling will be a challenge, with the T20 World Cup, Tests with Afghanistan and India, home and away series with New Zealand and a tour of South Africa kicking off from October.
The CA Chief Executive Kevin Roberts said: “Postponing the tour is regrettable, but I would like to thank the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) for the open, honest and responsible discussions that led us to this mutually-agreed position.
“As we know, the global cricket calendar is very busy but we will do everything we can to honour our commitment to Bangladesh and will continue to work with the BCB on an agreed date.”
The two Tests in Chattogram and Dhaka between June 11-23 were part of the newly launched World Test Championship, the finals of which are set for June 2021.
Australia captain Tim Paine turns 36 in December and said of the cancellation of the Bangladesh tour: “I hope they don’t push it back too far for my sake, that’s for sure.
“Maybe the players are going to have to go through a period where we play quite a bit of cricket if we want to complete the Test Championship as it is,” he said.
