After the ICC suspended the Zimbabwe cricket board, their all-important tour of India that was scheduled to be held early next year was in jeopardy. While the BCCI had refused to comment on the status of the tour a few weeks ago, it has now been confirmed that Zimbabwe will not visit India for a three-match T20I series, with Sri Lanka taking their place instead. The series will be held from January 5.
“In the wake of Zimbabwe’s suspension by ICC, the BCCI invited Sri Lanka to participate in the three-match series,” the BCCI said in the media release. Guwahati will host the first match on January 5, Indore will host the second game two days later, while Pune will stage the final game on January 10.
According to the Future Tours Program (FTP), Zimbabwe were originally expected to play one Test and three ODIs in March this year, but the tour did not go ahead as planned. Instead, the BCCI negotiated with Zimbabwe Cricket for a T20I series.
The ICC had instructed the the Zimbabwe board to “unconditionally” reinstate the board that was elected in June or risk suspension. The ICC also stated that they would discuss the suspension in October in its quarterly meeting that will be held at Dubai.
Since the suspension, the Zimbabwe side have played just one tournament – the recent T20I tri-series in Bangladesh that also featured Afghanistan.