Tigers' home Pakistan series next year set to be held in two phases, says Fahim

Bangladesh's upcoming full-fledged home series against Pakistan next year is set to be held in two separate phases due to a scheduling clash with the Pakistan Super League (PSL), a Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) official said on Thursday.

"Pakistan series needs to be shifted slightly because of the PSL. It will have to be in two phases -- partly before and partly after," BCB cricket operations chairman Nazmul Abedeen Fahim told reporters in Mirpur.

According to the ICC's Future Tour Programme (FTP), Pakistan are scheduled to tour Bangladesh in mid-March for two Tests, three ODIs and three T20Is. However, with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) planning to stage the PSL during the same period, the series is now likely to be rescheduled.

It is learnt that the tour will be split into red-ball and white-ball phases, with both boards currently working on which format should be played first.

As the ICC T20 World Cup is set to conclude on March 8, Pakistan are likely to play the white-ball leg of the tour immediately after the tournament. The two-match Test series -- part of the ICC World Test Championship -- is expected to be held after the PSL.

Meanwhile, Fahim also confirmed that left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman will only feature in Bangladesh's three-match ODI series against New Zealand, as he has been granted a no-objection certificate (NOC) to participate in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for most of the season.

New Zealand are expected to arrive in Bangladesh in mid-April to play three ODIs and three T20Is. The IPL is scheduled to begin on March 26 and run until May 31.

"He will return for eight days to play the ODI series," Fahim said, explaining that the decision was taken with Bangladesh's 2027 ODI World Cup direct qualification in mind.

"Regarding playing the ODIs with him, we are not willing to make the slightest compromise on our qualification for the World Cup. Since we are not in a comfortable position, this decision was taken," he added.

Fahim further said that the Bangladesh team will leave for Bengaluru on January 28, 2026, to take part in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, scheduled to be held in February-March. The side will play two warm-up matches against Namibia and Afghanistan in the lead-up to the tournament.