 "Bangladesh yet to commit to T20I tour of Pakistan: 'Safety and security of players remain highest priority'")
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) remains non-committal to the tour of Pakistan that is scheduled to get underway later this month amid ongoing hostilities between the two nuclear-armed neighbours in the Indian subcontinent. Bangladesh are scheduled to visit Pakistan for a five-match T20I series that gets underway from 25 May after touring the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where they will play two matches in the same format.
The upcoming tour will be the Bangladesh cricket team’s first white-ball games since the ICC Champions Trophy, in which they crashed out in the group stage along with hosts Pakistan without winning a single game. The ‘Tigers’ had played a two-Test series against Zimbabwe last month, which ended in a 1-1 draw after a series-leveling victory for the hosts in Chattogram.
The BCB intends to honour is commitment towards the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) for now, in which Sharjah will host the two matches that take place on 17 and 19 May respectively.
“As part of its continued commitment to international engagement and preparation, the Bangladesh National Team will tour the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for a two-match T20 International series against the host nation as scheduled. The series is set to commence next week,” the BCB was quoted by Cricbuzz as saying.
‘Active and ongoing discussions with the Pakistan Cricket Board’: BCB
The Bangladesh board, however, is yet to commit to the white-ball tour of Pakistan given the hostilities between Islamabad and New Delhi that began with ‘Operation Sindoor’ – the Indian armed forces’ co-ordinated strikes on terror camps inside Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir that was their response to the deadly Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 dead.
The BCB added that while “active and ongoing discussions” are taking place with the PCB at the moment, it will go ahead with the tour only after they are absolutely certain of the “safety and security of its players and support staff”.
“The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is in active and ongoing discussions with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) regarding the Bangladesh National Team’s forthcoming tour of Pakistan.
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More Shorts“The BCB wishes to reiterate that the safety and security of its players and support staff remain the Board’s highest priority. All decisions concerning the tour will be made with careful consideration of the current situation in Pakistan, ensuring they align with the best interests of the team and Bangladesh cricket,” the BCB added in its statement.
The ongoing conflict between India and Pakistan has resulted in the suspension of the Indian Premier League as well as the Pakistan Super League , although the Board of Control for Cricket in India is currently discussing the possibility of resuming the IPL later this week in a meeting on Sunday.
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