After the men’s tour, the Indian women’s cricket team’s Bangladesh series now appears likely to be delayed as well. The world champions were scheduled to play an ODI series in Bangladesh this December. However, due to the tense situation in Bangladesh, there is a strong possibility that the series may not take place for now. Though it is not being termed “cancelled,” no clear date has been given for when Harmanpreet Kaur and her team will face Bangladesh.
India were slated to play three ODIs and three T20Is in December as part of the ICC Future Tours Programme. This series was supposed to mark India’s first assignment after becoming world champions. But it may now be postponed. The reason cited is “diplomatic complexities between the governments of the two countries.”
The Bangladesh Cricket Board is indeed looking for alternatives, but finding one seems difficult. In January, the Women’s Premier League will take place, followed by India’s tour of Australia, making rescheduling challenging.
A similar situation occurred with the men’s team. India and Bangladesh were supposed to meet in a white-ball series last August. Doubts over whether the series would take place in Bangladesh existed from the start. Eventually, the series was postponed until September next year. There were also reports suggesting that India could instead play three ODIs and three T20Is against Sri Lanka, but that tour was cancelled too.
Notably, in the so-called “kangaroo court” verdict against Muhammad Yunus, Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal recently declared a death sentence for Sheikh Hasina, the daughter of Mujib. After the verdict was announced on Monday, India responded, stating through its Ministry of External Affairs that the ruling against Sheikh Hasina in the Bangladesh court has come to India’s notice.
