Bangladesh keen to tour Pakistan

Bangladesh Cricket Board president Mustafa Kamal wants to send his country's team to Pakistan, provided the tour gets the approval of the International Cricket Council.

"We will be approaching the ICC that we are keen to come to Pakistan," Kamal said Sunday. "Nobody approached them earlier. This time we will be approaching them in a positive way. We must bring to their notice that we want to send a team."

Kamal is leading a nine-member security delegation from Bangladesh to assess security in Pakistan, which has not hosted any test-playing nations for the past three years.

Pakistan became a no-go zone for foreign teams due to security concerns after gunmen attacked Sri Lanka team bus at Lahore in March 2, 2009, killing six police officials and a van driver.

Kamal witnessed a dress rehearsal on Sunday of how the teams will be driven to the ground from its hotel in Lahore with dozens of security personnel deployed roadside.

A couple of members of the Bangladesh security delegation visited National Stadium in Karachi and met with senior government and security officials.

"We are here for three objectives. One is to see the (cricket) infrastructure, the second is to get information about the security plan (for the tour) and the third is to see their capability to deliver ," Kamal said.

Pakistan Cricket Board has proposed Bangladesh play either three one-day internationals or two ODIs and a Twenty20 in April, with Lahore and Karachi most likely to host matches.

Last month, ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said his organization will make its own security assessment.

"They will be definitely sending their own team for the security measures; they have a separate security department," Kamal said. "We must get them (ICC) engaged, we must get their consent. It is the beginning of the process which was stalled for the past couple of years."

Without the consent of the ICC, the tour won't go ahead as neutral umpires and match referees are needed.

Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Zaka Ashraf hopes that the tour would show that international cricket could be revived in his country.

"ICC doesn't have a problem, but their main concern is security," Ashraf said.

Pakistan has played all its "home" series out of the country in the past three years, mainly in the United Arab Emirates but also two tests against Australia in England in 2010.