NCL gives Test players an extra day before third round

The Bangladesh Cricket Board has adjusted the National Cricket League schedule to give its Test players additional time to recover after the team's upcoming assignment against Afghanistan in the United Arab Emirates.

The third round of the four-day domestic competition, initially set for October 17 to 20, will now run from October 18 to 21. The change comes as Bangladesh's Test players are expected to return from the UAE following the one-off Test against Afghanistan, which starts in Abu Dhabi on October 9.

The board has kept the fourth round unchanged. It will be played from October 24 to 27, meaning the gap between the third and fourth rounds has been shortened by a day to accommodate the revised schedule.

Bangladesh's Test squad will be involved in a busy period in the UAE. The Afghanistan Test is scheduled to finish on October 13, after which Bangladesh will take part in a three-team ODI series featuring Afghanistan and Zimbabwe.

Players selected for the ODI leg will remain in the UAE for the limited-overs series, while those outside that squad are expected to return to Bangladesh and join their respective NCL teams.

The scheduling adjustment is therefore particularly important for the Test players who will return home after the red-ball assignment. The extra day before the third NCL round is intended to allow them to recover before resuming domestic competition.

The NCL is being played this season with a number of structural changes, including the introduction of a Second XI competition and revised financial incentives for players. The tournament began on October 3 with eight divisional teams competing in the four-day first-class competition.

With Bangladesh also scheduled to host the West Indies for a two-Test series from October 28, the domestic calendar is being arranged around an increasingly demanding international programme.

The revised NCL schedule allows the board to accommodate national-team commitments without extending the overall duration of the competition.