Ireland tour mooted for August

Mohammad Ashraful's match-fixing confession has grabbed centre stage in Bangladesh's cricket over the last two weeks. It has been a difficult time for all, especially for the officials of the cricket board who have had to keep busy briefing the media about any and all updates. But there is a slight lull as everyone is waiting for the International Cricket Council's Anti Corruption and Security Unit's report which will arrive in Dhaka in the next couple of days.
For now though, the BCB has temporarily shifted to its normal routine and is concentrating on some good old cricket. While Bangladesh's next international series is scheduled to take place against New Zealand in October, it was learnt that the board is mulling over a proposal sent in by Ireland's cricket board for a limited overs tour in August.
“We received a proposal to play three one day internationals and two T20 internationals in Ireland in August,” BCB's cricket operations chairman, Enayat Hossain Siraj told The Daily Star. “We are still not sure about it. We have the Dhaka Premier League which begins on July 1 and the series against New Zealand in October. So we have to keep these things in mind before taking any further steps,” he added.
A decision will be taken regarding the series on June 11.
“Shane Jurgensen is returning to the country on the tenth. We will have a meeting with the selectors and the support staff the next day and take a decision,” said Siraj. “Getting used to the conditions in Ireland can only be a good thing for our players,” he added.
Coach Jurgensen's arrival will be followed by a 24-member camp that will begin on June 13. A few national players will then travel along with the Bangladesh A side to play a number of 50-over games in England.
Ireland is currently ranked at 11, two places below Bangladesh in the world ODI rankings. They are however, ranked nine in the T20I rankings and are ahead of the Tigers.