BCB committee wants tour scrapped

Officials sceptical of the aims behind the two-match tour.

Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) cricket operations committee wants the team’s tour of Pakistan to be scrapped as it feels it is not the right time to visit, according to Bangladesh’s New Age.

In a meeting attended by board officials, it was decided that the tour should not take place as, apart from the security situation, the two matches will neither help Bangladesh nor will it achieve much for Pakistan.

“We don’t oppose playing against the Pakistan team but we’re against playing them in Pakistan as we feel it is still insecure,” said an official. “The fact that we have been offered only two matches itself is a testament of that.”

Tour won’t do Pakistan any favour

Committee members were of the opinion that the two matches will not do Pakistan any favours as it bids to welcome back international cricket on its grounds. The example of Pakistan’s series against Australia was cited which will be hosted by Sri Lanka in August, with officials adding that it was highly unlikely for Australia to change their hearts and visit Pakistan even if the International Cricket Council (ICC) clears Bangladesh to travel.

BCB chief Mustafa Kamal returned to Dhaka from Dubai on Tuesday but did not attend the office. Vice-president Ahmed Sazzadul Alam and director Dewan Shafiul Arefin were among others who attended the meeting.

The meeting also decided to defer Bangladesh’s tour of Zimbabwe by eight months as the hosts declined to entertain the Tigers in August because of an underprepared ground. The Zimbabwe authority gave the BCB two options with a tour in October and the other in April 2013 and the BCB accepted the latter option.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 19^th, 2012.