Bangladesh series: PCB remains optimistic amid uncertainty

Misunderstanding prompted BCB’s stance, says Ashraf.

KARACHI:

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Zaka Ashraf has said that a ‘misunderstanding’ caused Bangladesh to take a tough stance on their proposed series in the country and remained optimistic that the tour will go ahead and revive international cricket.

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Mustafa Kamal, in a press conference in Dhaka, said that he will not send the team to Pakistan if the International Cricket Council (ICC) did not agree to send its match officials.

Kamal’s comments came after the ICC Chief Executives Committee agreed to recommend non-neutral match officials for the series as special dispensation in ‘exceptional circumstance’ in case security apprehensions do not allow the sport’s world governing body to send its own officials.

Pakistan have not hosted an international fixture since a gun attack on the Sri Lanka team in March 2009.

However, Bangladesh’s promise to send its team in April this year, followed by its delegation giving a thumbs-up to security arrangements in the country, raised hopes of the revival of international cricket.

But the BCB chief’s latest comments, in which he said that the tour will not take place “if proper rules are not followed including allocation of match-referees and umpires by the ICC”, came as a shock to the country desperately awaiting the return of international cricket.

Nevertheless, Ashraf, who is running from pillar to post for the revival, remained optimistic.

“We spoke to him [Kamal] and there was some misunderstanding on match officials,” the PCB chairman told The Express Tribune. “He thought we were arranging our own officials for the series.

“But it has been made clear to him that only the ICC-approved match officials will supervise the series and hopefully the tour will go ahead.”

‘Bangladesh making excuses’

Meanwhile, an official close to the matter believed that the PCB was hoping against hope as Bangladesh were reluctant to tour Pakistan.

“The BCB is now making excuses,” said the official. “The chances are slim as they are now denying things which they agreed upon when their security team toured Pakistan last week.

“Not much is going in Pakistan’s favour and apart from the objections raised by Bangladesh, many ICC officials are also reluctant to visit Pakistan.”

However, the picture will get clearer in the coming days as the Bangladesh board is due to finalise its security report, which will be submitted to the government before clearance is given on the tour.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 14^th, 2012.