Bangladesh's security delegation to travel with team for Pakistan tour
Bangladesh cricket team is set to arrive in Lahore on Thursday with the T20Is starting from January 24 onwards. Despite a lot of uncertainty surrounding the tour, Bangladesh finally agreed to tour Pakistan, following assurance of foolproof security for them. However, Bangladesh will be carrying their own security delegations with them for the series. Here is more on this.
As per a report by PTI, officials from the National Security Agency (NSA) of Bangladesh would reach Lahore by Wednesday, prior to the arrival of the team. Also, five other security officials, along with intelligence experts, would be accompanying the team, with their Director-General of forces intelligence. Despite PCB's repeated assurance of state-level security, the BCB has insisted on bringing their own.
Also, the report further states that BCB president, Nazmul Hasan, would be traveling to Lahore, along with other officials, to observe and access the situation throughout the tour. He also visited the team's training camp in Dhaka, where he assured the players that they don't need to worry about the security, and should instead focus on preparing hard for the tour.
Despite initial reluctance, Bangladesh have agreed to tour Pakistan for a complete series. They would be playing the T20Is on January 24, 25 and 27 in Lahore, followed by the opening Test from February 7 in Rawalpindi. The sides then play an ODI on April 3 in Karachi, followed by the second Test from April 5 at the same venue.
Earlier, the BCB was reluctant for such a long tour, as there were doubts regarding the security situation. The BCB also came up with the proposal of playing a Test in Dhaka, which was denied by the Pakistani board, as the series is being hosted by them. However, Pakistan assured the BCB about the situation. Notably, the Lankan side had also toured Pakistan recently.
Meanwhile, as far the Bangladesh squad is concerned, wicket-keeper batsman Mushfiqur Rahim has refused to travel to Pakistan citing security concerns. "My family is afraid of the security condition of Pakistan. In this situation, I can't go to Pakistan and play cricket there. It is always tough for me to sit down from a series of Bangladesh national team," he had said.
Bangladesh squad for T20Is against Pakistan: Mahmudullah (captain), Tamim Iqbal Khan, Soumya Sarkar, Naim Sheikh, Najmul Hossain, Litton Das (wk), Mhammad Mithun (wk), Afif Hossain, Mahadi Hasan, Aminul Islam Biplob, Mustafizur Rahman, Shafiul Islam, Al-Amin Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Hasan Mahmud.
