Energy concerns force Bangladesh Cricket Board to tweak match timings

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has changed the schedule of both their men’s and women’s international matches to support the government’s energy-saving initiative. Bangladesh men’s team is set to play a T20I and ODI series against New Zealand, while the women’s team will take on Sri Lanka in a three-match T20I series.

The men’s series, that begins on April 17, featured all three day/night ODIs starting at 2 PM local time and two out of the three T20Is starting at 6 PM local. However, the board has now decided to start the ODI fixtures three hours earlier at 11 am with an aim to finish the games by 6:30.

On the other hand, the T20Is will now start at 2 PM, expected to finish by 5:10 PM. The BCB is hoping to save four hours of electricity by changing the schedule.

Meanwhile, the women’s T20Is, originally scheduled for a 6PM start will now be held from 1.30pm.

"The board has decided to readjust the match timings of the forthcoming Bangladesh vs New Zealand ODI and T20I series to support the energy saving initiative of the Bangladesh Government. The revised timing, which will be announced in due course, will aim to make maximum use of daylight in the day-night games," the BCB said in a statement on Wednesday.

Bangladesh men's ODI series to begin on April 17

The first two men’s ODIs will be played at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka, on April 17 and 20, respectively, while the third one will be played on April 23 at Bir Sreshtho Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Stadium, Chattogram.

The first two T20Is will also be played in Chattogram on April 27 and 29, while the final fixture will be held on May 2 at Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka.

On the other hand, the three women’s ODIs will be played on April 20, 22 and 25 at  Shahid Kamruzzaman Stadium, Rajshahi, while Sylhet International Cricket Stadium will host three T20Is from April 28 to May 2.