Bangladesh's tour of West Indies likely to be pushed to July

Bangladesh's tour of the West Indies, scheduled for February next year, is likely to be pushed to July. A change, if any, will be necessitated by the World Cup Qualifiers, scheduled for next March; West Indies, currently ranked ninth in ODIs, are likely to feature in the tournament.

ESPNcricinfo has learned that both the BCB and Cricket West Indies have tentatively agreed to the change. It is understood that after the Qualifiers, West Indies will host Sri Lanka in June followed by the series against Bangladesh a month later before wrapping up the home season with the Caribbean Premier League.

The change would probably come as a relief for Bangladesh, as, without it, they would have to pack their bags quickly for the Caribbean tour in February right after their home series against Sri Lanka. It would have meant a crammed schedule as Bangladesh would then have had to fly directly to Sri Lanka to play the Nidahas Trophy, which is scheduled from March 15 to 31. They are free of international commitments from April-July 2018, after which they're scheduled to tour Australia in August.

Bangladesh have a busy schedule for the rest of 2017. After the two home Tests against Australia finishes on September 8, Bangladesh will fly to South Africa to play two Tests, three ODIs and as many T20s till October 29. The BPL will start on November 2 soon after their return, with the final scheduled in the second week of December depending on the number of participating teams. Soon after the BPL, they are set to host Sri Lanka for a full tour in December-January.