LAHORE – Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazim Al Hassan said that Pakistan tour is still not finalised as they have written to ICC to complete their security assessment to enable them to give final confirmation to its counterpart Zaka Ashraf, it has been learnt.
LAHORE – Bangladesh cricket team will visit Pakistan after the security clearance and approval from the International Cricket Council in January next, it has been learnt.
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hasan reportedly said: “Pakistan have given us a date, which is January 12. We will ask the ICC to complete their security assessment for match officials and the moment they finalise their stance, we can give our confirmation".
Nazmul hopes the International Cricket Council (ICC) will give its go-ahead. "We have made a commitment to travel to Pakistan. It is my understanding that it is even in the minutes of an ICC meeting that we will go," Nazmul added.
Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ashraf earlier said that the BCB had confirmed a visit in January, which would make Bangladesh the first international side to set foot in Pakistan since armed militants attacked the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore in 2009.
"Since we have made the commitment and if we think the security arrangement is satisfactory, I think we should go."
Bangladesh had agreed to send a team to Pakistan in April this year to play a Twenty20 match and one-day international in Lahore. However, the Dhaka High Court issued a restraining order stopping Bangladesh from playing in Pakistan due to security concerns.
"We will take every possible precaution before going. In my opinion, we can reach a final decision in the next 2-4 days," Nazmul said.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Zaka Ashraf said that Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had announced the team's intention to tour and they linked the matter to the security measures for Bangladesh team.
"We were in constant touch with the Bangladesh Cricket Board officials and they have conveyed to us that the tour is confirmed," chairman Zaka Ashraf said.
"We will soon co-ordinate with the provincial governments and put in place the best arrangements for the tour and I am pretty confident that the tour will take place in the best possible manner and pave (the) way for more teams to come," said Ashraf.
Meanwhile, a source in the Pakistan Cricket Board revealed that the tour is under process and as soon as they received information from the International Cricket Council (ICC) for the tour they will announce the decision in a press briefing.
The source also expressed the hopes that the process is in its last stages and as soon as ICC sends it security team to assess the security in Pakistan for the visitors and names officials for the tour then the tour will go on.
Bangladesh earlier this week said they will play a Twenty20 and a one-day on January 12 and 13 respectively, both in Lahore. The team had agreed to tour Pakistan in April this year but the tour was blocked by Dhaka High Court on a plea filed by a petitioner over security concerns.Foreign teams have shunned playing in Pakistan since gunmen opened fire on a convoy in Lahore, killing eight people and leaving seven Sri Lankan players and their assistant coach injured.
The attack pushed Pakistan into a cricket exile as the national team was forced to play their home series at neutral venues in the United Arab Emirates, New Zealand and England.