Nation-wide protests followed by an internet blackout and the killing of hundreds of Bangladesh citizens led to the dissolution of Parliament after Sheikh Hasina Wajid’s government fell. Hasina fled the country, prompting an interim government to be formed and arrange the general elections for the new government. It would be far from the truth to say that the developments in the political landscape of a country have little to no effect on sports in the country. Whoever disagrees has Bangladesh’s example to refer to.
The political crisis led the Women’s T20 World Cup to be shifted from Bangladesh, despite the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB)’s hope against hope and tireless efforts for the contrary. In addition, the bilaterals of both the senior team and the Under-19 team were impacted to some extent owing to the same reason. Recently, a few questions arose, surrounding the possibility of hosting South Africa for a Test series. Bangladesh is scheduled to host South Africa for a two-test match series starting on October 21. However, the current political scenario hints that this Test series can experience the same fate as the Women’s T20 World Cup.
Many countries including India, England, Australia, and the United States of America recommended their citizens against travelling to Bangladesh following the political rift and the fall of Hasina’s government. However, by a stroke of luck, the same was not done by the South African government. This means that the government, as of now, has no security concerns with traveling to Bangladesh. Perhaps this was the reason which led a BCB representative to confirm that the series is unlikely to be moved out of the country. Talking to cricbuzz, a BCB official said,
“We are hopeful that the tour will commence as per schedule and we will officially announce it in the coming days,”
While the country or Cricket South Africa (CSA) is unlikely to object, it has been reported that the governing body will hold a conference with the South African Cricketers Association (SACA) to make the final decision regarding the team’s travel to the country.
If the series is held according to the schedule, the first Test match will be played at Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium in Dhakka, followed by the second game at Chattogram’s Chowdhary Cricket Stadium. Currently, Bangladesh are in India, waiting to play the historic two-Test match series followed by a T20I series. A 2-0 win against Pakistan has boosted the morale of the Bangladesh players up to the sky and they would love to use some of that when they face the World Test Championship table toppers, India.
South Africa, who will start a white-ball series against Afghanistan in Sharjah this week, have been dismal during this WTC cycle and currently rest at the seventh position. The last time the South African team visited an Asian country was in 2021 when they toured Pakistan for a couple of Test matches. This could further boost Bangladesh’s chances of doing better against the team, having already beaten New Zealand in a home Test in December last year.
