Bangladesh will pay Pakistan their plane fare if they want to come to the country in April next year but will not accept any condition, Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hasan said on Monday. Bangladesh, according to the present FTP, are supposed to host Pakistan for two Tests, three ODIs and a T20 between April 10 and May 7. But Pakistan Cricket Board recently put some conditions making the series doubtful.
Pakistan demanded 50 per cent share of series revenue and also wanted Bangladesh to give a written commitment about sending Under-19 or women’s team in exchange of the tour.
The two boards negotiated the issue on the sideline of an International Cricket Council meeting in Dubai last week but could not reach to any decision.
Nazmul, who was not present in Dubai meeting, indicated that the BCB may give Pakistan some concession for the tour to go ahead but will not bow down to any pressure.
‘We will keep discussing and reach a decision. We don’t want to make our relations poor with Pakistan, nor do we want their cricket to suffer but we must ensure our players’ safety,’ Nazmul told reporters at his residence on Monday.
‘But I don’t accept that there will be conditions to go or to not go on a tour. I don’t think the BCB will agree to any conditions.
‘If they say that they will pay our plane fare then it is a different issue. But match fee or profit sharing is out of the question.
‘It is BCB’s own fund, we can’t share it with others,’ he said, adding that the BCB paid Pakistan a lump sum when they toured the country last time for a bilateral series in 2011.
‘I have heard that when the last time they came on tour, we had paid them…It was not half of the match fee but we had given them some money.
‘So there is precedence. I will have to find out what it is, but the amount was not significant,’ he said.
Nazmul ruled out sending national team to Pakistan anytime soon but hinted that they may consider sending an age group team or women’s team to appease Pakistan.
‘We are not thinking of sending our national team there,’ he said. ‘The next talking point, which they raised last time we met, was to send U-19, A team or women’s team.
‘They put pressure on me because a football and handball team had visited Pakistan. They said that since the government is sending these teams, it is not your government but BCB are stopping the tour.
‘So we said that we will see if we can send U-19, A team or women’s team.’
-With New Age input
