Bangladesh invites India to play first Test

India has been invited to play with Bangladesh in its maiden Test this November, Bangladesh Cricket Board president, Saber Hossain Chowdhury said Thursday.

"We have invited India to play the historic first Test and we hope we will know their reply within the next three or four days", Chowdhury said.

Bangladesh were planning to play with England earlier but the proposal failed to materialse after England said it is unable to fit the tour in its schedule in November.

Expressing disappointment for not being able to play their first Test against England, the BCB chief said, "Since England is the oldest Test-playing nation and Bangladesh the youngest one, BCB initially invited England to play the first Test."

But England were interested in playing in December after their Pakistan tour which did not suit the Bangladesh Cricket Board as the holy month of Ramzan falls in December this year.

"It will be Ramzan and we don't want to play the West during Ramzan," Chowdhury said.

Chowdhury also disclosed that Bangladesh is likely to appear in two four-day and three limited-overs matches against the provincial sides in South Africa after the ICC knock-out tournamnet in Kenya.

Bangladesh was granted Test status at the annual general meeting of the ICC in June this year in London.

Mail Cricket Editor