BCB urges BCCI to change venue for Afghanistan series

What's the story?

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has asked the BCCI to reconsider its decision of conducting the ODI series between Bangladesh and Afghanistan in Dehradun.

"We told them (BCCI) to reconsider the venue location so that it is convenient for our players," Nazmul told reporters. "As we will tour West Indies for a full tour after the Afghanistan series It would be better for players if the venue is convenient for travelling," the BCB president said on Friday, April 13th.

In case you didn't know...

The Afghanistan cricket team, which recently attained Test status, are set to take on Bangladesh in a 3-match ODI series in India.

The heart of the matter

The ODI series was initially slated to be played in UAE but since that attempt was unsuccessful, the Afghanistan Cricket Board identified India as the next venue. The BCCI had earlier allowed the Shahid Vijay Singh Pathik Sports complex in Noida to be Afghanistan's home ground in 2015-16.

The BCB are looking to schedule a series against the Afghanistan team before the latter play their maiden Test match against India on the 14th June, in the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

What's next?

Hasan, the BCB president, stated that although Dehradun is a good venue, Bengaluru or Kolkata would be a better option. They are in talks with the BCCI and are sure to receive help from them.

Author's take

Given that the matches are to take place in the first week of June and the Bangladesh tour of West Indies is in July, proximity isn't an issue. However, if Dehradun is not the ideal location, BCCI ought to find a suitable ground once the IPL season is done and dusted.