Essex in frame to host Ireland v Bangladesh in 2026

Harry Tector in action for Ireland during a T20 international against England at Malahide in September 2025

Essex are among the counties in the frame to host a portion of Ireland's men's white-ball series against Bangladesh next summer.

BBC Sport understands Cricket Ireland have held talks with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) over hosting the series on English soil.

County Championship clubs have since been asked by the ECB to submit expressions of interest in staging the series, which will consist of three one-day internationals and three T20 internationals.

At this stage it is not certain whether all six games will be staged at county grounds in England, or just some of them, with several venues under discussion.

Cricket Ireland's eagerness to move the matches across the Irish Sea is driven in part by the desire to boost attendance figures with UK-based Bangladesh and Irish fans.

The governing body also believe holding some of the games against Bangladesh in England will relieve financial concerns, and ease the strain on pitches, to enable more fixtures to be played across Ireland next summer.

Essex previously hosted an ODI series between Ireland and Bangladesh in May 2023 and are understood to have expressed their interest in hosting the T20 fixtures in Chelmsford this time around.

A collective 10,000 fans came through the gates at the County Ground for those ODIs a couple of years ago - one of which was lost to the weather - and included two sold-out fixtures.

Approximately 650,000 Bangladeshis live in the UK with many based in east London which is a short train or bus journey from the 6,500-capacity venue in Chelmsford.

The 2026 series is listed for August on the International Cricket Council's Future Tours Programme but there is said to be some flexibility over scheduling.

Cricket Ireland have faced challenges with hosting matches on home turf in recent years due to financial and logistical pressures.

In 2024, Cricket Ireland cancelled a T20 and ODI series against Australia citing a lack of permanent facilities and the cost of temporary infrastructure.

They hope to have a new purpose-built stadium on the outskirts of Dublin completed by 2028.