Bangladesh's performance in the Test format has declined in recent series. They have only one win in the ongoing 2021–2023 ICC Test Championship and have lost eight out of ten matches. Despite the fact that the players haven’t shown viable improvement in the longer-version format, the latest FTP of the ICC may include 34 Tests for Bangladesh in the next two editions of the ICC Test Championship, claims cricket news portal ESPNCricninfo. Who will be Bangladesh's opponents and other major series in the next two editions of the Test Championship are discussed in this article.
Bangladesh’s probable opponents in next two editions of the ICC Test Championship
Bangladesh will likely play both England and Australia in the 2025-2027 cycles of the ICC Test Championship, which will be two big series for them. England may come to Bangladesh, while Australia's series will be away from home.
Bangladesh have a series against Pakistan in both the third and fourth editions of the Test Championship. In addition, Bangladesh will play an away series against India in the 2023–2025 cycle but not one in the 2025–2027 cycle. Here are the probable opponents of Bangladesh in the next two editions of the ICC Test Championship.
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Bangladesh’s probable opponents in the 2023-2025 ICC Test Championship
Opponents |
Host |
New Zealand |
Home |
South Africa |
Home |
Sri Lanka |
Home |
India |
Away |
West Indies |
Away |
Pakistan |
Away |
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/
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Bangladesh’s probable opponents in the 2025-2027 ICC Test Championship
Opponents |
Host |
England |
Home |
West Indies |
Home |
Pakistan |
Home |
Australia |
Away |
South Africa |
Away |
Sri Lanka |
Away |
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/
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How many Tests will the other teams play?
Like in the first two editions, nine Test playing nations will take part in the third and fourth cycles of the ICC Test Championship. The participating teams are Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Pakistan, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies. Each team will take part in six bilateral Test series, three series at home and three away series.
According to ESPNCricinfo, England will play the most Tests (42), followed by Australia (41) and India (38). Surprisingly, Bangladesh will play the fourth highest, with 32 Tests in the next two cycles, while New Zealand will play 32 Tests. The remaining four teams will play fewer than 30 Test matches in the next two editions of the competition.
Bottom Line
The second edition of the ICC Test Championship will end in March 2023. Bangladesh are in the bottom position in the points standings with one win, and they will likely finish last at the end of the competition. As per ESPNCrincfo’s report, Bangladesh will play 17 or 18 matches in the next two cycles of the Test Championship, allowing them to face some of the toughest opponents in the competition. The BCB should take this opportunity to be more serious about the development of the longer-version format. The Cricket Board should aim to instill a culture of Test cricket in the country so that fans are more interested in the format and players are more motivated to excel on the field.