Australia's cricket authorities hopeful of a Bangladesh tour

Australia's cricket authorities are hopeful that a Bangladesh tour due to start in less than a month will go ahead despite a player rebellion over pay, a senior team official said.

The scheduled two-Test series has been placed in a jeopardy by the long-running dispute, which has pitted Australia's top cricket stars against the game's governing body.

"There is obviously a lot of work to be done. But we are hopeful and optimistic that the tour will go ahead," Gavin Dovey, Australia cricket team manager told reporters in the Bangladesh city of Chittagong.