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Dhaka: Bangladesh and South Africa have taken a significant step towards strengthening sports cooperation and promoting sports tourism with the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and Cricket South Africa (CSA).
The MoU was signed on 16 January 2026 at the Chancery of the Bangladesh High Commission in Pretoria, read a press release of the Bangladesh High Commission. Bangladesh High Commissioner to South Africa, Shah Ahmed Shafi, signed the agreement on behalf of the BCB, while Pholetsi Moseki, Chief Executive Officer of Cricket South Africa, represented CSA.
Beyond cricket development, the agreement is expected to create new opportunities for sports tourism by facilitating regular movement of players, coaches, officials, and support staff between the two countries. Increased bilateral tours for men’s and women’s teams at various levels—including age-group and high-performance squads—are likely to encourage fan engagement, training camps, and longer stays, contributing to tourism-linked economic activity.
Under the MoU, emerging Bangladeshi cricketers will receive high-performance training at CSA’s Centre of Excellence in Pretoria on a regular basis. The partnership also includes exchange programs for umpires and pitch curators, as well as cooperation in coaching development, technical knowledge sharing, and institutional capacity building.
Officials noted that such structured exchanges and long-term training programs would not only enhance cricketing standards but also strengthen people-to-people contacts, positioning sports as an important pillar of bilateral relations.
The three-year agreement is expected to deepen cricket ties between Bangladesh and South Africa while supporting the broader objective of promoting sports tourism and international exposure for athletes, officials, and sports professionals from both nations.
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