Bangladesh’s historic Test victory over Australia has put the country’s red-ball potential back in focus as England prepares for a series of Test encounters with the Tigers, including a tour that ECB Chair Richard Thompson acknowledges will come at a significant financial cost.
Bangladesh defeated Australia by nine wickets in Darwin, recording the result on their first Test visit to Australia in 23 years. England, meanwhile, are scheduled to host Bangladesh for a Test next year ahead of the Ashes, before travelling to Bangladesh for a two-match ICC World Test Championship series.
Bangladesh’s Australia win strengthens Test case
The result in Darwin provided a significant marker for a Bangladesh side seeking opportunities against leading Test nations. It also comes before the country’s first Test series in England since 2010.
ECB Chair Richard Thompson, speaking to Sky Sports during the second Test between England and Pakistan, said: “Bangladesh just beating Australia proves that they’ve got great potential.”
England accepts financial cost of Bangladesh tour
For the ECB, the Bangladesh tour also highlights the financial challenges involved in maintaining a broader Test calendar.
“The reality is we do things that we don’t have to do that cost us money. We have got a tour to Bangladesh. That’s going to cost us a lot of money but we have to do that,” Thompson added.
The two-match series in Bangladesh will form part of the ICC World Test Championship, placing the tour within the competition that structures bilateral Test cricket among its participating nations.
ECB puts Test cricket values ahead of returns
England has previously accepted additional costs to stage Test cricket against countries outside the format’s biggest commercial markets. The ECB paid to bring Zimbabwe to England for a Test, an example Thompson also used in setting out the board’s approach to the longer format.
Thompson noted: “We paid to bring Zimbabwe over for a Test match. The point is it’s not all about valuations. It’s about values and valuing the sanctity of Test cricket is so important. We know we’re an outlier.”
That approach places Bangladesh within a wider ECB commitment to maintaining Test cricket even when individual fixtures or tours carry significant costs.
