Cricket: Bangladesh renew hopes of revival

PCB hopeful after being informed by Kamal about government’s consent.

KARACHI: While ‘no one is interested in coming to Pakistan’, Bangladesh, with memories of the last-minute u-turn still fresh, has handed the former world champions renewed hopes of reviving international cricket here.

According to a Pakistan Cricket Board official, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) chief Mustafa Kamal met PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf in Kuala Lumpur to discuss prospects of playing in Pakistan.  The BCB had to postpone their brief tour in April following a Dhaka court ruling. However, both chiefs met yesterday on the sidelines of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Annual Conference where Kamal informed Ashraf that his board has received the government’s consent.

“The BCB chief said that things will be clear after the court hearing which is taking place on July 12,” the official told The Express Tribune. “Kamal has assured the PCB chairman that Bangladesh will send their team at the earliest possible time after getting the court’s clearance on the tour. It’s a sort of a breakthrough. The PCB continues to strive for a return of international cricket in Pakistan.”

Pakistan have not hosted a Test nation since 2009 while the most of the boards showed reluctance to tour Pakistan on Ashraf’s invitation in Kuala Lumpur when the PCB chief confirmed that no board wanted to tour the country due to the security situation.

Bangladesh expressed interest in touring Pakistan for a two-match series which would have been the first time a Test nation visited the country since the Lahore attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in March 2009.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 29^th, 2012.