MUCH to the disappointment of the cricket fans, Bangladesh
unfortunately has once again refused to visit Pakistan for the two test match series. Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Nazmul Hassan confirmed on Sunday that his team will not tour Pakistan for the test series due to security concerns.
Undoubtedly, making security an excuse is a lame one which has no ground whatsoever as Pakistan has most recently successfully conducted the test series against Sri Lanka after ten years. Then in the past Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has also staged the matches of Pakistan Super League (PSL), whilst the women’s foreign teams came as well as ‘A’ sides. The PCB will now be hosting a full season of the PSL at home starting from February 20 in which scores of foreign players have been listed. The very statements of world players are also on record who consider and view Pakistan as safe as any other place on the earth. West Indies cricket legend Chris Gayle also recently endorsed Pakistan as one of the safest places right now in the world, citing the presidential-level security provided to the visiting players in the country as one of the reasons for his view. Therefore, we will urge the BCB to reflect on its decision as there is no reason for them not to visit Pakistan. PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani has taken a firm and categorical stance, and rightly so that he will not settle anything less than for a two test series. Definitely, if Bangladesh is not ready to play tests in Pakistan then we should not host them for the T-20 series. We should also not visit them unless they visit us first for a full series. PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani and his team really deserves appreciation for putting in much effort to bring foreign teams to domestic grounds and these efforts must be further expedited as it will help revive our past glory in the game and provide much needed entertainment to the cricket frenzy nation.
