BCB unwilling to play Tests in Pakistan

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have held talks regarding a possible upcoming including three T20Is and two Tests in Pakistan in January-February 2020, but BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury informed yesterday that the board did not want the national team to stay in Pakistan for an extended period of time.

“We have been in contact with the PCB and all of you must know by now that the BCB has already informed them that we do not want to stay for a long period in Pakistan. In that case, we want to play the three T20Is but we prefer that the two Test matches be arranged at a neutral venue,” Nizamuddin told reporters yesterday.

The BCB CEO was of opinion that security arrangements for a longer tour were different than for a short tour and clarified the board’s stance.

“At times there have been questions about why we have a problem playing longer-version cricket while we do not have any issues playing the shorter version. Actually, security specialists can understand that it is a bit different to make [security arrangements] for a longer period than it is for a shorter period. In that case, there would be a lot of restrictions regarding players’ movement and other things. So, we made this decision considering everything,” Nizamuddin added.

It was reported earlier that PCB CEO Wasim Khan had written to the BCB to ask for the reasons behind the board’s unwillingness to play a Test in Pakistan.