The Pandemic Took A Toll On The International Calendar With Eight Tests Absent From Bangladesh That Were Part Of The ICC Test Championship Started Last Year On August 1:
The Bangladesh Cricket Board wants the ICC to extend the World Test Championship cycle as it does not foresee the side playing its eight recently-cancelled matches because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has taken a toll on the international calender with Bangladesh missing eight Tests which were part of the ICC Test Championship which was launched on August 1 last year.
The eight tests include a one-out game against Pakistan in April, a two-game series against Australia in June, two tests against New Zealand and three against Sri Lanka. “If the new ICC Test Championship period is extended, there’s no way we will play those eight Test matches in the stipulated first period time frame,” said Akram Khan, Chairman of BCB cricket operations said.
“We are looking forward to see what ICC does with the Test Championship because unless it is reshuffled there is hardly any possibility to play the eight Test matches that got cancelled,” he said.
The World Test Championship (WTC) involves nine of the twelve test-playing nations facing off in a two year period. Both nations were expected to play six test series-three at home and three away, but not all of them will play the same number of games.
Each of the team will be able to score a maximum of 120 points from the series and at the conclusion of the league stage the two teams with the most points will play in the final next June. Throughout July 2019 and March 31, 2021, a total of 72 tests were scheduled to be conducted.
BCB chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury has said that if the ICC Test final is held on time next year, there would be no room for playing those postponed matches. “If the final match of the Test Championship is scheduled for next June then the fate of these matches (eight tests) is very slim as it means that there is no chance of these Test matches because there is no space left to play those matches by next June,” Nizamuddin said.
“So if the final date of the Test Championship is extended, then maybe there will be a possibility that even after the extension, even if there is a possibility, it would also have an effect on other schedules because we have a compressed schedule until 2023,” he said. India is currently at the top of the standings of the World Test Championship (WTC) followed by Australia.
