As the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) gets ready for the T20 World Cup 2026, they are planning a short T20I series against the United Arab Emirates. This will come before their five-match T20I tour of Pakistan in May.

Reliable sources say that the BCB and the Emirates Cricket Board are already talking about a two-match T20I series that could happen in Dubai on May 18 and 20.  If everything goes as planned, this series will give the Tigers a chance to warm up before they go to Pakistan for a tough two-team series.

Bangladesh were scheduled to go Pakistan to play three ODIs and three T20Is in the last week of May.  But with the next T20 World Cup in mind, both cricket boards decided to turn it into a five-match T20I series. This would give the players more match time in the shortest version.

Chairman of BCB's Cricket Operations Nazmul Abedeen Fahim confirmed what had happened, saying, "Yes, both boards have discussed this. If we can play a couple of games before heading to Pakistan, it’ll boost the team’s confidence."

Pakistan are planning to visit Bangladesh for a three-match T20I series in July, in addition to the tour in May, though the dates have not yet been set.  This series, which is not part of the ICC FTP (Future Tours Programme), shows that BCB is moving its strategy even more towards being ready for T20 World Cup.