BCB’s final decision expected soon:

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had been seeking consent from their players to travel to Pakistan for the Test leg of the tour. It is expected that BCB will give their final decision about the tour after their board meeting on January 12.

Bangladesh’s tour to Pakistan was thrown in doubts after BCB decided to split the tour into two. BCB’s proposal was that they would play the T20I series in Pakistan but will play the 2-match Test series at a neutral venue. One of their reasons was that their players would not be able to stay comfortably amidst all that security for the entire duration of two Tests.

Pakistan, however, was fixated on having the entire series played in the country. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ehsan Mani had said that they have proved that Pakistan is safe by hosting a successful home Test series against Sri Lanka. He added that if anyone thinks that the country is not safe, they will have to prove it.

Ehsan Mani said: “I have been around with the ICC for a long time. I know the way it works. They will have to prove Pakistan is not safe. We think it’s safe, and we’ve shown the world it’s safe. Look at what happened in Christchurch (Bangladesh team incident), and incidents can happen in Australia and England, and all around the world. India is at present in far greater turmoil from a security perspective than Pakistan is.

“I will not take a risk with any players’ safety or security. We will listen to everyone who is worried about coming here, but ultimately they’ll have to prove it isn’t safe to come here.”

BCB chief executive speaks about the tour:

BCB chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury had said about the tour that they want to play the T20I series at Pakistan first, so that the players, coaching staff and security teams gets a good idea about the situation in Pakistan. Nizamuddin Chowdhury added that they will decide on the Test series whether they want to play it in Pakistan or at a neutral venue ‘after’ the T20I leg.

But Pakistan has a packed schedule ahead, and they only have a very little time after the T20I series against Bangladesh as the Pakistan Super League (PSL) will start from February 22. PCB will not have the time to shift the Test series to a neutral venue.