Pakistan tour: Security team’s visit yet to be finalised

Bangladesh board asks government to send officials for inspection.

KARACHI: The Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) directors have given approval to a security team’s visit to Pakistan ahead of the proposed series between the two countries.

However, the board will wait for clearance from its government before finalising the schedule for the security team’s trip.  The BCB President Mustafa Kamal confirmed that a request has been made to the government, asking it to send a security team to Pakistan.

The BCB had earlier promised the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) that it would be sending a team to the country to evaluate the security situation in order to finalise the tour to Pakistan in April. It is believed that the boards struck a deal, under which Bangladesh were to visit Pakistan in return for the PCB backing a BCB nominee for the post of the International Cricket Council vice-president.

The PCB, which is desperate to revive international cricket in the country, has already started making plans to ensure security for the tour, including deciding to buy two bomb and bullet-proof buses.

However, the Bangladesh security team’s trip, which will give the go-ahead for the tour, is yet to be confirmed.

“Our government will give the final go-ahead,” Kamal told The Express Tribune. “We have sent it a request to send the security team. The government will form its team, which will also include our officials. It’s up to them to decide when the visit will take place.”

Kamal said that a decision regarding the cities that will be visited by the security team has not been made yet.

“That’ll also be decided by the government. We’re expecting a prompt response and hopefully the security team will be visiting Pakistan soon.”

Published in The Express Tribune, January 9^th, 2012.