The cricket operations committee of the Bangladesh Cricket Board in a meeting on Tuesday has unanimously recommended the Board not to proceed with the planned Pakistan tour as they felt that it is not the right time to visit. The meeting which was attended by few other top officials on invitation came to a conclusion that this short visit for two days will help neither Bangladesh nor the Pakistan team.
Committee members were of the opinion that it will do nothing to convince other international countries to come to Pakistan as they all will have their own security assessment.
Committee members cited the example of Australia who will play against Pakistan in Sri Lanka right after the proposed Bangladesh series. It is highly unlikely for Australia to change their hearts and visit Pakistan even if ICC clears it as safe for Bangladesh to travel.
The committee took an ICC media release into cognizance to discuss the matter as BCB president AHM Mustafa Kamal did not inform them anything about until the period.
Kamal, who unliterary decided that Bangladesh will play a one-day international and a Twenty20 international against Pakistan on April 29 and 30, have returned to Dhaka from Dubai on Tuesday but did not attend the office.
Vice-president Ahmed Sazzadul Alam and director Dewan Shafiul Arefin were among others who attended the cricket operations meeting.
‘We are not against playing with Pakistan team but we are against playing them in Pakistan as we feel it is still insecure. The fact that we have been offered only two matches itself is a testament of that,’ said an official.
The meeting also decided to defer the Zimbabwe series by eight months as the hosts declined to entertain Bangladesh in August because of an underprepared ground.
Zimbabwean authority gave the BCB two options with a tour in October and the other in April 2013 and the BCB accepted the latter option.
‘We have a busy domestic schedule in October so we decided to tour in April. October is very busy time for the local players, so the cricket operations decided to tour in April,’ said an official.
However insiders said that outgoing national coach Stuart Law still wanted the Tigers to tour Zimbabwe in October as the weather during that time would suit them. But an influential director opposed the idea as the BCB has a plan to go for an election in November.
The meeting also approved the plan to tour Ireland where Bangladesh will play three one-day internationals and a four-day match against the home side. The tour will follow two ODIs against the Netherlands and Scotland respectively.
The committee has asked the officials to look for an option if Bangladesh can play two Twenty20 Internationals against Ireland during the tour. It was also approved that a BCB XI will play three one-day matches against Trinidad and Tobago who will celebrate their 50th anniversary of Independence in August.
Courtesy of New Age
