PCB To Invite Bangladesh For Bilateral Series in December

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is keen to host a bilateral series in the country against Bangladesh later this year. As per a report in PTI, PCB had suggested the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to send a team of security and vigilance experts for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) final on March 5 in Lahore. Accoring to sources quoted in the report, Pakistan was due to tour Bangladesh, but the PCB instead insisted on the latter touring Pakistan. Since March 2009, no top Test team has visited Pakistan owing to security concerns after militants attacked the Sri Lankan team in Lahore.

"The PCB has suggested that the Bangladesh government and cricket board security and vigilance experts should themselves monitor the security arrangements for the final and later on also visit Pakistan to update their superiors about whether it was safe to send the Bangladesh team to Pakistan in December," one source disclosed to PTI.

"They want Bangladesh to now come and play a full series of Tests, ODIs and T20 matches in December as Pakistan has been to Bangladesh thrice since 2009," the source added.

The PCB has stepped up its efforts to convince other boards to resume international cricket series in Pakistan and it claims that by hosting the PSL final in Lahore it aims to send out a positive message to the cricket world that security is good enough for international matches to be organized in the country.

"If the PSL final is held smoothly than the PCB is very keen that Bangladesh tour Pakistan in December after full security assurances," the source added.

Security issues in Pakistan had already robbed PCB of the chance to host the Champions Trophy in 2008/09 but after the 2009 attack, the ICC relocated the 2011 World Cup matches awarded to Pakistan and all Test teams refused to play in the country because of security concerns.

Pakistan since 2009 has hosted all its home series in the United Arab Emirates except for a short tour by Zimbabwe in May, 2015.

The Zimbabwe tour was also not enough to convince other top teams that it was safe to resume playing in Pakistan.

The source said that the Bangladesh government and board would be sending a three or two member delegation of security experts for the PSL final to observe first hand the security arrangements for the event.

The PCB has also invited security experts and representatives of some seven other cricket boards to be in Lahore for the final to observe things themselves.

The PCB had nearly convinced the West Indies cricket board to play three T20 matches in Lahore in March this year but the WICB backed off after a terrorist strike in Lahore.

(With inputs from PTI)