Decision after security report
The Bangladesh Cricket Board [BCB] will rely on reports from the concerned ministry and security agencies to reach a decision regarding whether or not to send the men's national team to Pakistan in January next year. According to the ICC Future Tours Programme (FTP), Pakistan are scheduled to host Bangladesh for two Tests and three T20Is.
The Sri Lankan national team are currently touring Pakistan for a multi-format series for the first time since March 2009, when the Sri Lankan team bus was the target of a militant attack in Karachi. There is talk now that Sri Lanka's decision to tour has created a stronger argument for Bangladesh following suit early next year.
In the aftermath of the attack in 2009, Pakistan were forced to play all their home matches in neutral venues abroad, mostly in the United Arab Emirates. Zimbabwe became the first international team since the attack to visit Pakistan for a T20I and ODI series in 2015. Along with a World XI side in 2017 and West Indies in 2018, Sri Lanka had also visited Lahore for a one-off T20I in October 2017.
"We have a commitment with them [Pakistan Cricket Board] as per the ICC FTP. Pakistan is to host Bangladesh for two Tests and three T20Is. They have some neutral venues in Dubai and a few others that are treated as their home venues.
"We have to follow some protocol for our team to travel abroad and security is one of the chief agendas. We have been working on this with the concerned ministry and also the concerned high commissions. We will come to a decision based on reports from them," BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury told reporters at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday.
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh national women's team are also scheduled to tour Pakistan from October 23. Nizamuddin said that the assessment of security arrangements for both the men's and women's teams will take place together. The Bangladesh women's team are scheduled to take part in a three-T20I and two-ODI series against their Pakistani counterparts.
"The process [of assessing security arrangements in Pakistan] has already started. They have already contacted the Bangladesh High Commission [in Pakistan] and they have provided us a report.
"We have sent that report to the concerned ministry and they are working on it. We are expecting an inspection team to travel to Pakistan soon. Sri Lanka are already on tour in Pakistan and we want our inspection team to be present while the tour is on. That way, the team will get to witness the on-ground security arrangements."
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