Bangladesh’s cricket chief Nizamuddin Chowdhury has defended the decision to host South Africa’s Test series in the monsoon months of July and August, saying no other dates were available.
The series ended in an inevitable 0-0 draw after the last two days of the first match in Chittagong were washed out and four out of five days’ play in the second game in Dhaka were lost to bad weather.
— Bangladesh Cricket (@BCBtigers) August 3, 2015
South African captain Hashim Amla said he was frustrated at being part of a “bizarre” series. “This is one of the most bizarre Test series I have been involved in,” the usually unflappable Amla said.
“I don’t think I have played a series where out of 10 days, six days have been rained off.”
The monsoon season, which usually starts in mid-June, accounts for 80 per cent of the country’s annual rainfall. Last year the Bangladesh Meteorological Department recorded over 45,000 millimetres (1,771 inches) of rain across the country from June to August.
Worse, the Dhaka Test also coincided with cyclonic storm Komen in the Bay of Bengal, which made landfall on the country’s east coast on Friday and brought heavy rain.
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A one-off Test against India in Chittagong in June was also abandoned after rain washed out nearly nine of the 15 sessions of play.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board CEO Chowdhury said the tight int-ernational schedule of both India and South Africa forced his board to hold Test series for the first time during the monsoons. “This was the only available slot we got from the South African board,” Chowdhury said.
“We had communicated to them the rain factor. But there was no alternative.
“If we did not host them now, we would have had to wait until 2023.”
Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim awarded Player of the Match in 2nd Test. #BANvSA pic.twitter.com/GHJWItzIHV
— Bangladesh Cricket (@BCBtigers) August 3, 2015
As for India, Chowdhury added that arranging to host them was the toughest job for any country. “We all know how busy the Indian team is,” he said. “So we had no choice but to play them in June.”
Bangladesh’s Test captain Mushfiqur Rahim appealed to teams to visit his country between October and May. “We always want to play the big teams during our cricket season,” he said. “But they are usually busy then.”
Fans will be relieved that Australia’s two Test matches in Bangladesh this year will be held in relatively rain-free October.
Top-ranked South Africa dropped five points in the Test rankings, closing the gap with other contenders. Bangladesh gained six points but continued to languish in ninth place, just above Zimbabwe.
