Pakistan is set to make a tour to Bangladesh post the T20 World Cup in October. The Chief Executive Officer of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, Nizamuddin Chowdhury, offered confirmation regarding the same. The Pakistan cricket team will reach Dhaka on November 15th. Two Test matches along with three T20 Internationals will be held in November and December in Chattogram and Dhaka.
Chowdhury addressed the media on Monday and said that the Pakistan series would be conducted after the T20 World Cup. Moreover, the operation department is liaising with the Pakistan board to finalise all details. During the visit, all formats will be added with more focus on Tests and ODIs. It will be the Pakistan team’s first tour to Bangladesh after six years. According to the Pakistan Cricket Board, the tour is a part of its Future Tours Programme.
The Pakistan Cricket Board reached out to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to host short series to make up for the cancellation of New Zealand. However, since players from both countries already had commitments, they could not plan any series.
Wasim Khan, the CEO of the PCB, said that Bangladesh Cricket and Sri Lanka Cricket had both shown their willingness to play matches in Pakistan. However, the lack of time made it difficult for the boards to send their teams.
The Chairman communicated with them and explored the opportunity for a short tour, and the boards were receptive. However, they pointed out the difficulty in making changes to the existing plans, especially with some of their players already dispersed.
New Zealand had to abandon their tour to Pakistan, citing a security threat. The Kiwis took a flight out of Islamabad and reached Dubai. Wasim Khan ruled out the possibility of boycotting the World T20 Cup against New Zealand. However, he did say that the team had disrespected Pakistan cricket.
He added that it was a real problem in international cricket if the threats could not be discussed between governments of the countries or on the intelligence level. Furthermore, Pakistan will be taking this inequality issue to the International Cricket Council. Khan said that considering that it was a bilateral series, there was less hope for Pakistan to get any compensation unless it went to a dispute resolution committee. However, the board will talk with the ICC board and ensure that such things do not surface again.
| The upcoming tour of Pakistan will be played on the following dates: |
| 19 Nov – First T20I, Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka |
| 20 Nov – Second T20I, Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka |
| 22 Nov – Third T20I, Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka |
| 26-30 Nov – First Test, Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chattogram |
| 4-8 Dec – Second Test, Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka |