Sri Lanka Women to Tour Bangladesh First-Time

Next month, the Sri Lanka women’s cricket team will visit Bangladesh to contest a three-match One Day International (ODI) series and a three-match Twenty20 International (T20I) series. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced the full itinerary for the tour today. This marks the first occasion that the Sri Lankan women will play a bilateral ODI and T20I series on Bangladeshi soil.

According to the schedule, the team will arrive in Bangladesh on 17 April and will travel directly to Rajshahi. Following practice sessions on 18 and 19 April, the Sri Lankan side will face Bangladesh in the first ODI on 20 April at the Rajshahi Divisional Cricket Stadium. The remaining two ODIs are scheduled for 22 and 25 April at the same venue. Between the second and third matches, the team will have two additional days of practice. All ODIs will commence at 9:30 am local time.

Upon completion of the ODI series, the Sri Lankan squad will depart for Sylhet on 26 April, with a practice session scheduled the following day. The first T20I will take place on 28 April at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, followed by the second and third matches on 30 April and 2 May, respectively. All T20I matches will begin at 6:00 pm. The team is scheduled to return home on 3 May.

Historically, Sri Lanka last played an ODI in Bangladesh during the 2011 Women’s Cricket World Cup qualifiers. Prior to that, in 2009, the Sri Lankan women participated in a triangular series in Bangladesh, facing both Bangladesh and Pakistan, and emerged victorious in the series. This upcoming tour is expected to be a major opportunity for Bangladesh to further develop its women’s cricket team on home soil.

The tour provides both teams with valuable preparation for upcoming ICC events and is likely to attract significant attention from cricket enthusiasts across Bangladesh. Experts suggest that the exposure to competitive international matches at home will bolster Bangladesh’s team performance while providing the visiting Sri Lankan side with experience in subcontinental conditions.

The tour schedule is summarised below:

The upcoming tour is anticipated to strengthen ties between the two cricket boards and enhance the visibility of women’s cricket in the region. Fans and players alike are eagerly awaiting a highly competitive series, which promises to showcase talent, skill, and the growing prominence of women’s cricket in South Asia.