Bangladesh-Nepal series in March to honour Nepal flood victims

Bangladesh will tour Nepal for a three-match T20I series in March next year, with the series to be dedicated to the memory of those who lost their lives in the devastating floods that recently hit Nepal.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) confirmed the tour on Wednesday, with the matches scheduled to be played in Kathmandu on March 26, 28 and 30.

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The series will be the first-ever bilateral series between the men's teams of the two countries and Bangladesh's first tour of Nepal.

Bangladesh and Nepal are yet to meet in an ODI, but they have faced each other twice in T20Is -- at the 2014 and 2024 ICC T20 World Cups -- with Bangladesh winning both encounters.

“Talks over the series began during a meeting between State Minister for Youth and Sports Aminul Haque and Nepal's Ambassador to Bangladesh Ghanshyam Bhandari. Bhandari visited the BCB on Wednesday and met BCB President Tamim Iqbal, where they discussed the proposed tour as well as broader cricketing cooperation between the two countries,” the BCB said in a press release on Wednesday.

The BCB also expressed sympathy for the victims of the devastating floods and recognised the significance of dedicating the series to their memory.

“The three matches will provide an opportunity for Bangladesh and Nepal to come together through cricket and convey a message of friendship and solidarity at a time of great loss,” the board said.

The BCB also assured the Nepal Cricket Association of its continued cooperation and support for the broader development of cricket in the country.

“The areas of collaboration will include exchange of men’s and women’s tours, High Performance programmes, training and technical support and other development initiatives that can benefit players and cricket personnel of both countries,” the release added.

The death toll from the floods in Nepal had climbed to 1,399 by Tuesday as authorities recovered more bodies from eight affected districts, according to a report in The Hindu.

The flash floods, triggered by a glacial avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26, devastated towns and villages in northern and central Nepal. More than 13,000 people have been rescued so far.