BD seeks security consultant for Pak tour

BCB official says its players have no objections to the upcoming tour of Pakistan

The Bangladesh C1ricket Board (BCB) official have stated that they have approached the government to provide them with a security consultant for their upcoming tour of Pakistan.

Bangladesh is scheduled to travel to Pakistan on August 17th for a two-match Test series, which is part of the ICC Test Championship. The matches will take place in Rawalpindi from August 21-25 and Karachi from August 30 to September 3.

“Look providing safety is up to them (Pakistan) and we go there because they assure us to provide state-level security and after they assured us about it, the tour was fixed,” BCB cricket operation chairman Jalal Yunus told reporters on Wednesday.

He pointed out that similar assurances were given during the Asia Cup when Bangladesh visited Pakistan.

A PCB spokesperson in Lahore affirmed the BCB’s right to have a security consultant, noting that the visiting team has not raised any security concerns.

“Security managers or consultants are now considered part of the player support personnel just like a media manager or a team doctor. Even at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and other bilateral series, teams have traveled with security managers,” the PCB spokesperson said.

“If the Bangladesh Cricket Board wants to include a security consultant as part of their team management for the upcoming Test tour, then it is their prerogative. But as on now, the BCB have not expressed any security concerns with the PCB.

“In fact, and as part of international norm, the PCB shared the security plan along with the MoU with the BCB last month and received no queries or additional requests.”

BCB’s Yunus emphasized that other international teams have recently visited Pakistan and expressed satisfaction with the security arrangements. He confirmed that the tour was confirmed after receiving assurances from Pakistani authorities.

“You might have seen in recent times that some international teams have also visited [Pakistan] and they are quite happy with the security they provided,” he said.

Despite their concerns, he confirmed that the tour was confirmed after receiving assurances from Pakistani authorities.

“We are also very much concerned about the security but after knowing everything and after getting assurance from them regarding the security we have fixed the tour,” he said.

In addition to government assurances, the BCB has requested a security consultant who will maintain continuous communication regarding security issues throughout the tour.

“At the same time we have requested the government to give us a security consultant during the tour who will maintain communication with them at all times regarding the security issues,” he said.

Jalal noted that the players have no objections to the upcoming tour of Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Jalal Yunus addressed the media on Wednesday at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, providing updates on the fitness of key players returning from injuries.

Taskin Ahmed, who has been sidelined from red-ball cricket due to a shoulder injury, began training in Mirpur and underwent a fitness test on Tuesday.

Taskin, who last played a Test in June last year, has continued to feature in other formats, including the T20 World Cup in the USA and the West Indies in June. On Tuesday, he bowled with a red ball during an individual practice session.

Physios have given Taskin the green light to continue on his path back to Test cricket, but the final decision will be made by BCB chief physician Debashish Chowdhury after reviewing the reports.

“Taskin had an assessment yesterday [Tuesday]. He is being considered for red-ball. It will be the selectors’ call,” Jalal confirmed to the media on Taskin being considered for Pakistan Tests.

Ebadot Hossain, another Test prospect, has been recovering from an ACL injury sustained last July, which kept him out of both the ODI and T20I World Cups.

“Ebadot is recovering. We are in communication with him and he has recovered about 70 percent. Hopefully, he will recover more in the next two months. He is still in rehabilitation,” Jalal said.