No chance to play Test match in Pakistan: Bangladesh Cricket Board chief Nazmul Hassan
The Bangladesh government has advised the cricket board to just play the three-match T20I series in Pakistan later this month, BCB president Nazmul Hassan stated.
In Short
- Bangladesh government has advised the cricket team to just play the T20Is in Pakistan
- BCB had earlier proposed the idea of playing one Test in Pakistan and the other in Dhaka
- Bangladesh was due to tour Pakistan from January 18 to play two Tests and three T20Is
Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hassan on Sunday confirmed that the men's cricket team will not tour Pakistan for the two-match Test series due to security concerns. Bangladesh was due to tour Pakistan from January 18 to play two Tests and three T20 Internationals.
The BCB had earlier floated the proposal of playing one Test in Pakistan and the other in Bangladesh but it was rejected by the Pakistan Cricket Board. The PCB had also ruled out the possibility of hosting the Test series at a neutral venue.
"Privately the proposal to have one Test in Pakistan and one in Bangladesh has been floated but has been rejected," a PCB official had said last week.
Bangladesh first wanted to play three T20s in Pakistan and then decide on the Tests after assessing the security situation. But now the Bangladesh government has intervened in the matter and advised the cricket team to just play the T20Is in Pakistan.
"According to Bangladesh government advice, they can only play 20-20 match in Pakistan. There is no chance to play test match in Pakistan right now," BCB president Nazmul Hassan said.
Test cricket returned to Pakistan for the first time in ten years with the Sri Lankan team playing two matches in Rawalpindi and Karachi, with the hosts winning the second match to clinch the series 1-0 after the rain-curtailed first game ended in a draw.
Custodian of cricket laws, the Marylebone Cricket Club is also going to send squad to Pakistan in February next year to play in a few matches under the captaincy of its current president Kumar Sangakkara.
West Indies cricket legend Chris Gayle also recently endorsed Pakistan as "one of the safest places right now in the world", citing the "presidential-level security" provided to the visiting players in the country as one of the reasons for his view.
"Pakistan is one of the safest places right now in the world. They say you will get presidential security so you are in good hands. I mean we are in good hands too in Bangladesh, right?" Gayle was quoted as saying.