Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has reiterated that Bangladesh will tour Pakistan only when the International Cricket Council (ICC) agrees to send its officials for the fixtures – because of security concerns.
But there was progress on other fronts during a meeting between the heads of the two boards in Dhaka yesterday, ESPNcricinfo reports.
BCB president Nazmul Hassan offered Bangladesh’s stadiums as an alternate venue for Pakistan’s home games, and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar Khan said the pullout of Pakistan players from various Bangladesh leagues was regrettable, Mohammad Isam writes.
“We didn’t talk much about lower-level teams but I spoke to him about the national team,” Hassan said of his conversation with Shaharyar.
“We maintained that if the ICC can’t send match officials, we won’t send the team. I have clarified this from the start. In terms of our academies, we have a long-term agreement with the PCB so we will look into that as well.
“He said he will look into the matter [of sending Pakistan players for DPL and BPL]. I said we don’t have a problem even if they don’t come. Also, because we spoke for very little time, we discussed the possibility of considering Bangladesh as a neutral venue, which will be cheaper for them. It will improve our relationship. We have beautiful stadiums – all ICC-approved – so Bangladesh can be an option.”
Shaharyar said Bangladesh could pick and choose where they want to play in Pakistan if the senior team should tour, and hoped to begin with tours by teams of other levels. “I have had a very positive and fruitful exchange with the BCB president and his colleagues,” he said.
“I endorse entirely what he has said. Let us see if we can move forward in various directions. I feel we could do with schoolboys, academy, university, women’s and A teams. We can invite any one or more of these teams to Pakistan. You will see for yourself the situation in Pakistan.
“If it is not good in Peshawar, we will not take you to Peshawar. If it is not perfect in Karachi, we will not take you there. But in Multan, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Lahore, there are many other cities; in Mirpur, we have a superb new stadium. We will take you there, where I am sure they will be safe and warmly welcomed.”
Shaharyar said he wanted the relationship between the PCB and BCB to go back to how it was during his first term as board chairman – between 2003 and 2006, ESPNcricinfo writes.
“Last time I was chairman, there was a great spirit of cooperation between Asian boards. We acted together, the four of us, regardless of political issues. We helped each other. The [BCB] president agreed with me that we need to revive the spirit.
“This means also that we need to have another look at Pakistani participation in leagues and various other tournaments. I was not aware that we had stopped sending our people here, which I personally think is regrettable. We will definitely put that right.”
Shaharyar said some Associate nations – those participating in the 2015 World Cup – had expressed interest in touring Pakistan. “I won’t name them but there are some important Associate countries, who are playing in the World Cup, who told us they are ready to come to Pakistan. It is a step-by-step process, we are hoping Bangladesh will be one of the early ones who will break the ice. We hope to get it [clearance from ICC] with the help of our Asian brothers.”
Source: The Daily Star
