Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hasan Papon has confirmed that Zimbabwe team will come here in the first week of November to play a number of ODIs and T20s, ending before November 20. There were speculations that the tour would be split into two phases, with only Tests taking place in the first phase in November, but during talks between the BCB and its Zimbabwe counterparts at the sidelines of an ICC meeting last week, it was decided that only limited over games will be held in November.

“Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) has confirmed that the Zimbabwe team will come and play in the slot that we have available before the Bangladesh Premier League. It's still not fixed as to how many matches will take place, but there will be a number of T20Is and ODIs,” said Papon, who returned from Dubai on Thursday night, at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday.

Papon also informed that Cricket South Africa (CSA) has agreed to send its women's team for Bangladesh tour, which was deferred on security grounds earlier this month.

“CSA has asked us to send a new schedule, which we will send on Saturday,” said Papon, adding that a security team of CSA will arrive in Bangladesh in November to assess the security situation here before a final decision on the schedule of the tour is released.

With regards to the postponement of the Australia Tests, Papon said that Cricket Australia (CA) has apologised and also promised to compensate for it.

“Firstly they have apologised for having postponed the tour. After the death of the Italian aid worker, there were talks about IS links, which got them scared and hence they postponed the tour.

“However, they have said that they would compensate and try to arrange more matches than previously agreed. The problem, though, is that they are free only at the end of 2016 or the beginning of 2017,” said Papon.

“In addition they have also said that whenever they tour nearby countries, like Sri Lanka and India, they will try to arrange ODIs and T20Is in Bangladesh just to prove that they are eager to come,” added the BCB president.

Papon claimed he has also requested ICC to come up with a guideline to follow whenever a situation akin to the Australia's tour postponement comes up in future.

The BCB president further said that BCB has made a bid to host the Asia Cup, due to take place in February next year. “There will be a meeting on the 26th of this month. As of now, the first priority is India. If India decides against hosting it, the Asia Cup will be held in Bangladesh,” said Papon.