KARACHI: As Pakistan anxiously awaits the return of international cricket, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) ignored discussing the fate of its team’s proposed tour to the country.
The 35th meeting of the BCB’s board of directors, which was held yesterday, was expected to shed light on the fate of the tour.
However, according to an official close to the BCB, the matter did not come under discussion as the meeting discussed other cricketing matters of the country.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), seeking to end the drought of international cricket, invited Bangladesh to tour Pakistan in April and in return supported the nomination of BCB chief Mustafa Kamal for International Cricket Council’s (ICC) presidency.
A BCB security delegation, including Kamal, visited Pakistan early last month, increasing chances of the series being held after it expressed satisfaction on the security arrangements.
However, the BCB changed its stance within a few days following a decision in the ICC meeting which hinted that it could allow local officials for the series in case security apprehensions do not allow the sport’s governing body to send its own officials. Subsequently, Kamal said they will not send team to Pakistan without neutral officials.
Chances get slimmer
Meanwhile, showing lack of interest on playing the series, the latest BCB meeting ignored the discussion on Pakistan tour.
“Pakistan tour wasn’t on agenda of the meeting,” the official told The Express Tribune.
“The BCB is seeking the ICC’s support for making the final decision and until then it’s not considering touring Pakistan.”
According to reports, the ICC’s Executive Board meeting on April 14 will be crucial as it will have to endorse a decision on allowing home officials for the proposed series.
However, the chances of PCB managing to host the series even Bangladesh agrees to send its team seem remote due to the hot weather in May after which Pakistan are due to tour Sri Lanka for a full-fledged series.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 2nd, 2012.
COMMENTS (27)
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@desi boyz:
Bangladeshi Cricket Board should have done their homework and seeked answers for the questions you have raised before taking the pleasure trips to Pakistan and wasting everybody's time and money.
The reason they wanted to send their team to Pakistan so they can get Pakistan's support for BCB's Vice Presidency in the ICC. Do we need to refresh your memory, it was your board who is or was willing to send your team to Pakistan in leo of the Vice Presidency support, get a clue? How wise your board officials are to think about the vice presidency before anything else? Did they consult the Bangladeshi players, the support staff or the ICC before making the bargain with the PCB.
As I said before, Pakistani people care less if Bangladesh tours or not, what we are disgusted about is the unprofessional approach of your cricket board towards this whole episode and towards Pakistan in recent times. Why can't they come forward and say sorry PCB we lured you into this but we are not sending our team instead of using the lame excuses.
PCB is equally to be blamed for lingering on with the BCB. They should assess the ground reality and take gradual steps to restore international cricket. A Bangladesh tour is not the answer.
@syaad...yes they were satisfied with the arrangements but there are some procedures to follow..if the ICC don't want to take the responsibility of the whole situation then what if something goes wrong during the tour?? then what? who will be held responsible? "sorry" doesn't cut it all the time my friend...maybe you got away with it once..and if there is no neutral umpires during the series then lot of biased decision will be given..just going to ruin the series..personally i wanted this series to happen but not by risking other people lives.. anyways if no one is interested in bd touring you guys then you should have approached some other teams at the first place along with bd..oh wait i forgot no one want to come..WHY?? well i m sure you know the answer to that very well....calling bcb names won't change anything...and who is more hypocrites then pcb itself?? we all seen their shenanigans in the past..more to follow..good day my friend!
@desi boyz:
We are not discussing security here. We are talking about the hypocritical officials of the Bangladesh Cricket Board who visited Pakistan to check out the security arrangements for the proposed Bangladesh Cricket team's tour of Pskistan. At the end of the visit, the BCB officials indicated that they were satisfied with the security arrangements and gave the impression that the prospect of the tour was positive.
But, when they arrived back in Bangladesh, they flipped and started making ambiguous statements, passing the buck to the ICC and now to thier Prime Mininster. Honestly speaking Pakistani spectators care less if the Bangladeshi team visits Pakistan or not. Historically our stadiums have been deserted whenever they had toured Pakistan. So, the PCB is better of to brush aside the morons at the BCB (can't believe they were begging for 5 runs penalty and the Asia Cup) and move on.
I think PCB should simply say to the BCB, Thank You but no Thank you, we are no longer interested in hosting you, and close this chapter. Bangladesh Cricket Board is very well aware of the trashing their team will receive in the Pakistani playing conditions and whatever glory they have achieved during the Asia Cup will go down the drain, let them bask while it lasts. This may not be the only reason, (some other MASTERs of BCB may not want this tour to materialize), but whtever it may be, let's forget BCB's hypocritical attitude and move on.
@umair: Excuse me.....what do you mean by "we robbed them" no this is not the way you should say. Pakistan played better cricket on that night and won. And one thing Pakistan requesting Bangladesh to come and play a series in Pakistan to break the deadlock. Otherwise playing a series with a team like Bangladesh is not worth, its useless. You dont learn anything playing with minnows. Also, we have to understand that India rules Bangladesh politically. India will never allow Bangladesh to visit Pakistan to play a series. It wont happen, we have to understand that
Our intentions to bring foreign teams are right but method is wrong. For example, with Bengali players, their team officials have to agree with tour too. Like Pakistan, most of the coaches and other experts who travel with teams are Australians.English or from other countries. Also we must consider International media, ICC officials and hundreds if not thousands of fans who have inside support of a tour. Any international series is not possible without these elements, whereas we are focusing only at BD, which is a wrong approach. We need to convince everyone, not one board or team and for that we have to make our country safe and peacefull, (which we are not). When we say our 35000 citizens have died in war against terror, for us its a pride and sacrifice but for world its another proof that Pakistan is a very dangerous country.
Welcome to global village. One needs peaceful environment to play (Cricket, Hockey or other sports) or grow (economy, wealth creation) and it is lacking in Pakistan. In a way most head of states, celebrities and sports team are shunning Pakistan for its support for non state actors, training camps etc. How do you expect head of a country or their sports team or celebrity to come when their soldiers are geting killed while trying to restore law and order in the global village? With polio as a threat there is a strong possibility that Pakistani sports team(s) will not be allowed to enter the neutral venue(s) or international games like Olympic either. Its time for introspection and chart a new course.
What do you expect from them? They have always been back-stabbers. Besides what good would it do for Pakistan to play a low-level team like Bangladesh. We need real competition and until good teams like Australia and South Africa refuse to come to Pakistan we should focus on our domestic cricket. The recently concluded Faysal Bank T20 tournament is a step in the right direction.
@The Flying Object: 100% agreed with you! The hatred of sheikh haseena wajid had become really clear when she did not come to the presentation ceremony after Pakistan won the match. That was a pathetic move by her, shows you alot about the kind of sportsmanship and statesmanship they have!
I don't know what all the fuss is about? Who gives a toss if they tour here or not? I remember the last time the Bengalis toured, the attendance at the stadiums was abysmal. And I feel no reason why that would change now. And if the PCB thinks that it can change the minds of the Australian and English cricket teams regarding touring Pakistan, then they are not earning their money(which they aren't anyway). The foreign teams have always hated touring Pakistan and they won't want to come back now that they have played us at neutral venues.
When people/nations don't fear the super entity (Allah), they fear everyone else - they fear of losing everything and that can lead to low self esteem. Low self esteem is what PCB is suffering from.
Live a life courage, dignity and freedom and break those begging bowls!
@Irtiza: I totally Agree with you. We should not beg anyone specially the team like Bangladesh.
even Kenya, Zimbabwe are much better than them
If we had let them win asia cup,they would have agreed to tour pakistan.but now they won't because they fear the white wash that is destined for them if they played against pakistan
Is it a coincidence that Bangladesh is not touring Pakistan after the Asia Cup and the rejection of their appeal to reverse the result?
Well this is what can be expected from pro-indian Bengalis.
Just imagine the hatred of sheikh haseena wajid that she did not come to the presentation ceremony to handout the trophy because pakistan won...
And i'm sure that their cricket board made all that fuss about the last over on instruction of their indian masters.
Don't blame Bangladesh or any other country. Blame the Pakistani Taliban for attacking a touring team and blame our own government for not providing the security that was needed for the Sri Lankans. If I was an international cricketer with a career in a national team i would not risk my life to come to the land of the pure or should i say land of the terrorist
@umair:
and when did we rob them?
potential losers :)
NO to begging .. take it easy PCB the international cricket will come back as we recover.
we robbed them of the Asia Cup trophy.... why would the come to Pakistan now???
BCB after winning two matches are flying high...I am sure after next they will be agian requesting the teams to play cricket with them...
I totally agree. Instead of Bangladesh if pakistan had pursuaded countries like zimbabwe and west indies, I m sure they would have shown greater regard and magnanimoty than this so called brotherly country. Even Afghanistan is more capable of playing competetive and interesting cricket than Bangladesh.
We need not beg them to come to Pakistan. Till the situation improves here, we should continue playing our home series on neutral venues. Bangladesh is a team that should be playing and losing against teams like Zimbabwe and they do not deserve to compete against a team like Pakistan.