Bangladesh Cricket Board relieved after confirmation of Australia's tour to Bangladesh 

What’s the story?

As the pay dispute between Cricket Australia and Australian Cricketers Association finally found a long-awaited resolution, Bangladesh Cricket breathed a sigh of relief. Australia were set to tour Bangladesh for three Tests between August 22 to September 8, but due to the pay dispute, the tour was on shaky ground.

"It's great news for Bangladesh. Definitely, we are very happy to see the problem has been resolved," Bangladesh Cricket Board head Nizamuddin Chowdhury told AFP.

"Their [Australia] next commitment is in Bangladesh. Now after the dispute is resolved, we can look forward to hosting them."

In case you didn’t know...

The pay dispute between Australian cricketers and their board was resolved on Thursday, which ensured that Australia’s upcoming tours of Bangladesh and India will take place as scheduled. Last month, Australia A’s tour to South Africa was cancelled as the two parties were yet to reach an agreement.

The heart of the matter

More than 200 cricketers in Australia were unemployed at one point in time. The bone of contention between the association and the players was the revenue sharing model, which, as per the former, was outdated and according to the latter, was important for the growth of cricket in Australia.

The widening gulf between the players and the association compelled Australian Cricketers Association Commercial Manager, Tim Cruickshank, to visit India for "commercial opportunities" for the players.

The Bangladesh tour was likely to be cancelled, which made the authorities apprehensive. In 2005 as well, Australia’s tour to Bangladesh was cancelled after terrorist attacks in the Muslim country.

What’s next?

All of Australia’s upcoming tours will take place as scheduled. After the three Test series in Bangladesh, they will tour India for five ODIs and three T20s from September 17 to October 11, and that will be followed by the Ashes in November.

The first Test between Bangladesh and Australia will be played at Dhaka’s Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on August 27, while the second will take place at Chittagong on September 4.

Author’s take

The resolution of the pay dispute is not just good news for Bangladesh but for cricket as a whole. The two parties had to reach an agreement sooner or later and unfortunately, it took 10 months.

Australia have not played a series in Bangladesh since 2006, which is why the pay dispute settlement is all the more reason to celebrate for BCB.