SPORTS REPORTER

Bangladesh national cricket team will depart for the UAE this morning for a two-match T20I series against the hosts in Sharjah.

The matches are scheduled for May 17 and 19. If the following Pakistan tour that includes five T20Is and was originally scheduled to begin on May 25 goes ahead, the team is expected to travel there directly from the UAE. Otherwise, they will return home.

However, the question now remains whether the Pakistan series will go ahead as the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) will seek government clearance before finalising it.

“They [Pakistan Cricket Board] have unofficially asked for our consent regarding the series. Once we receive official communication about the dates and venues, we will forward it to the government. The BCB is not the decision-maker in this matter,” said Iftekhar Rahman Mithu, chairman of BCB’s media and communications committee.

The tour proposal comes after a recent ceasefire agreed between Pakistan and neighbouring India following a period of heightened tension. However, PCB sent BCB a revised itinerary yesterday, which states the start date of the series on May 27 in Faisalabad.

However, due to the rescheduling of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) -- which will now resume on May 17 and conclude on May 25 -- the PCB had to revise the fixtures for the Bangladesh series, as the original dates clashed with the PSL final.