Bangladesh’s Pakistan tour is still on hold as the Bangladesh Cricket Board has yet to give the go signal for the team to push through with the tour. The team is set to play two Test matches and three T20s in January this year, but safety concerns have been holding back the BCB’s decision to let their players come and play.
PCB has taken a firm stance regarding the concern and is determined to play Bangladesh only at home, as the latter’s board prefers to play on a neutral venue instead. Despite a successful tour by Sri Lanka – whose team was bombed in the recent years – Bangladesh is yet to decide.
Pakistani opener Ahmed Shehzad, who is currently playing in the Bangladesh Premier League, encourages the team to go on with the tour.
‘Pakistan is a safe country for me. It has always been a safe country for me, in the past and the present time’, said Shehzad. ‘Our government forces are doing whatever is necessary to organize international cricket’.
He believes that security should not be much of a big concern for the team. He looked back on the successful tour that Sri Lanka had on Pakistan last year.
‘Players are given security equivalent to the president of Pakistan’, he continued. ‘Everyone know about the hospitality of Pakistan. The recent Sri Lankan tour was a huge success’.
On the other hand, Bangladesh head coach Russell Domingo is making sure that he presents himself available for the Pakistan tour if the team does get the proper clearance ahead.
BCB’s President Nazmul Hasan has expressed concerns regarding the players’ and staff’s safety in the tour. He thinks that strong security measures would be very stressful for players. He believes that it will surely disrupt the focus of the team towards the match.
A constant mind block in the players’ and coaching staff’s minds would be very likely as Hasan believes. The level of security would put them in an uneasy comfort level prior to the game.
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Hasan also stated that the team only wants to play in the T20 series and would like to send their squad to a neutral ground. The board has discussed with their Pakistan counterpart and the latter is keen on pushing for the game to be held in Pakistani soil.
Shehzad said that if he was in Bangladesh’s shoes, he would have surely toured Pakistan without any doubts.
‘The Bangladesh Cricket Board will decide what they will do’, he explained. ‘But if you ask me, I would like to go to Pakistan to taste the food of Pakistan, see their hospitality and play in front of the people of Pakistan’.
It would mean a lot for Pakistan if Bangladesh decides to push through with the tour. That would help them improve their image that has been tainted by the bombings that deemed the country unsafe for the sport.
It could be fatal for Pakistan if Bangladesh does not go with the tour. They will have to take the risk and consider their options if they are to go and play cricket in Pakistani soil.
This means that the final call would Bangladesh’s to make. They will have to consult with the government before the tour can finally push through. The decision would be out in the latest cricket news soon.
Cricket matches have been banned in Pakistan since the bombing of Sri Lanka’s team bus. Since then, live cricket matches have been held on neutral ground as an alternate home for the Shaheens Source link