Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) officials on Thursday said the upcoming series against Pakistan, comprising two Tests and three ODIs, will be split around the Pakistan Super League (PSL) in March.
Pakistan was initially scheduled to play two Tests, three ODIs and three T20 matches in March. However, the T20I has been dropped from the itinerary as the teams have already played a three-match T20I series in June as part of their bilateral commitments.
According to Cricbuzz, Bangladesh have proposed that Pakistan play three ODIs before the PSL, while the Test series will be completed after the conclusion of the league in May. During this time, Mustafizur RahmanThose who were selected by Kolkata Knight Riders will not be available for the entirety of the Indian Premier League due to Bangladesh's tour of New Zealand.
BCB president Nazmul Hasan insisted Mustafizur will return for an eight-day window during the IPL and will be available for the ODI series against New Zealand, a series Bangladesh is desperate to win to secure direct qualification for the next World Cup.
“It (the remainder of the Pakistan series) should be in two parts (before and after the PSL),” BCB chairman of cricket operations Nazmul was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz on Wednesday.
Bangladesh are currently ranked 10th in the ICC ODI rankings and have played only nine bilateral ODIs in 2025, winning only three. With direct qualification for the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa at stake, Bangladesh will need to get back into the top eight of the rankings.
“We have given NOC to Mustafizur for the entire IPL. He will return to play for the national team only during the New Zealand ODI series, which consists of three matches. He will return for eight days to play the ODI series. One is that yes, he will be in a T20 environment and coming back to play ODIs, we can say there could be a transition period. Also, the level at which he will play and the competitive environment he will be in, he will be able to contribute more after he returns. Can also give permission to give. Nazmul.
“So we considered all the pros and cons and felt that his presence is important for us. With our current strength, his presence makes the team stronger and that is the idea behind this decision. When we lost the series against UAE in UAE, we took a very risky decision, because at that time we released Mustafizur for the IPL. After his IPL performance, the massive change that happened in Mustafizur later benefited us. It is true that we took the risk and we We lost the T20 series against UAE. I think if we think about the future, about building a good future, we have to take these risks and at some point they will yield positive results for us.”
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