Bangladesh Cricket team’s planned tour to Ireland in July is hanging in the balance as the hosts are yet to get any assurance from the International Cricket Council of an extra fund required for the series, said an official of Bangladesh Cricket Board.
Bangladesh were keen to play three one-day internationals and a four-day match along with two Twenty20 matches against the home side and would have liked to follow it up with two ODIs against the Netherland and Scotland respectively.
Bangladesh found themselves with no cricket in the summer after South Africa had turned down their proposal of playing three ODIs and five Twenty20 matches in May.
‘I don’t think we can proceed with the tour as Ireland want us to play just two ODIs against them and a one-dayer against Scotland because of a fund crisis. It would be useless to go so far just for three games,’ said a top BCB official.
Cricket Ireland had requested the ICC for extra funding to cover the cost of Bangladesh series as they have no budget and sponsor for it.
A full Test-playing nation receives a grant of between 5.5 million and 7 million euro annually from the ICC to cover the costs of their international series. By contrast, as an associate member Ireland’s grant from the ICC is 520,000 euro.
Ireland are already committed to hosting Afghanistan for a four-day Intercontinental Cup game and two World Cup qualifiers at the start of July, and a month-long tour by South Africa ‘A’ team in August, which will eat up their entire budget. 
So to meet the extra expenses of Bangladesh’s tour they sought ICC’s help only to receive a cold response. The BCB is also against the idea of breaking their bank for a series against an associate member unlike what they wanted to do against South Africa.
So as a host country Ireland has to provide Bangladesh with local accommodation, players’ daily allowances and also has to bear the satellite transmission cost.
Ireland has already informed the BCB they are unable to do all these things and requested them to cut short the tour with only three ODIs of which two will be played against Ireland and one against Scotland.
But the BCB is in no mood to entertain the request.
Barry Chambers, the spokesman of Cricket Ireland, told New Age that they are still in contact with the ICC and trying to secure the extra funding required through the ICC High Performance Programme.
‘Both Ireland and Bangladesh are keen for the full proposed tour to go ahead. We expect to have a final decision from ICC by the end of the week,’ he said through an email.