Amid security concerns, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is set to
send the national women's team to Pakistan for a short visit. The board
has already obtained the GO (government order) for players and officials
for the series -- two One Day Internationals and as many T20I matches
scheduled to be held in Karachi and Lahore. The board has also booked
flights on September 27 and September 28 and return flights on October
7.
All the requisite work regarding this trip is almost done and BCB
president Nazmul Hassan Papon is expected to make the official
announcement today upon his return from abroad.
"We are waiting for our board president to return to the country
tomorrow [Wednesday]. Once he is here, he will hold further discussions
and then reveal the final decision," said BCB's director and chairman of
media committee Jalal Yunus yesterday.
Many have been considering the visit as a risky venture to a risky
place, with reports of terrorist attacks in various parts of the
country, including attacks inside secured zones and on high-profile
politicians, grabbing world headlines.
However, the board took the decision based on the report of a
four-member security team, which visited Karachi and Lahore on September
5. According to sources, the security team submitted their report to
the BCB president, mentioning that they were convinced the security
arrangements would allow the board to go ahead with the tour. There was
also some advice in the report, but nothing was deemed serious enough
for the board to cancel the tour.
According to board insiders, the BCB is keen to continue its good
relationship with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in order to maintain
bilateral series as well as Pakistan players' participation in
Bangladesh's domestic circuit.
Zimbabwe's tour in May this year signalled the return of
international cricket to Pakistan, six years after a militant attack on
the Sri Lanka national cricket team bus on March 2009. However, amid all
the celebrations, Zimbabwe's tour was marred by a suicide attack near
the Gadaffi Stadium during the second match.
Bangladesh men's cricket team was due to tour Pakistan in April 2012,
but the High Court blocked that tour following a public outcry. Then in
2013, there was a discussion about having a short tour, consisting of
one T20I and one ODI, but the BCB cancelled the tour, saying Pakistan
was not safe for its players. This decision led to some animosity from
the PCB, which barred its players from participating in the Bangladesh
Premier League in 2013.
The last time the Tigers visited Pakistan was in July 2008 for the
Asia Cup, playing matches in Lahore and Karachi, while the Bangladesh
national football team played a World Cup pre-qualifying match in Lahore
in July 2011. The most recent visit was made by the Bangladesh women's
handball team, who travelled to Faisalabad for the IHF Trophy in
December 2014, preceded by the Bangladesh women's football team's visit
to Islamabad in November 2014 for the SAFF Women's Championship.
