Despite security concern, BCB will send Bangladesh team to Pakistan

 

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) yesterday agreed to tour Pakistan to play two international matches at the end of the month. The one-day international is scheduled for April 29 and the Twenty20 international on the next day, both to be held in Lahore.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) was informed of the decision during the Dubai executive committee meeting, which concludes today. Bangladesh Cricket Board President AHM Mustafa Kamal and his Pakistani counterpart Zaka Ashraf are attending the meeting.

It will be the first time in just over three years that international cricket has been scheduled in Pakistan after the attack on the Sri Lankan players less than a mile away from the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
The March 2009 terrorist attack left eight people dead and seven visiting players and their assistant coach wounded. Pakistan had been a “no go” zone for international teams as they fear for the security of the players in a country where the national army is fighting militancy.
“The public of Pakistan have been deprived of cricket and we felt that we needed to support them. The reception we received when we toured Lahore and Karachi on our security visit was overwhelming,” said Kamal in a press release.
“This tour is taking place after 2009 and this short tour will hopefully demonstrate to the world that cricket should start taking place in Pakistan,” added Kamal, who is a joint nominee of Pakistan-Bangladesh for the ICC vice president’s post from June 2012.

It is understood that Kamal has got the permission from the government to tour Pakistan.
The ICC board requested the PCB to provide a comprehensive security plan for consideration after which its anti-corruption and security unit will commission a localised risk assessment to determine whether its officials and staff are appropriately protected by the proposed security plan, before any further decision is taken in relation to their appointment.
Early in March, Kamal led a security team to assess the situation in Pakistan and upon his return (and with regards to the ICC stance on match officials), said that Bangladesh would not tour if the ICC did not take the standard practice into consideration. It drew flak from the PCB, which threatened to review relations if the tour doesn’t take place.
But PCB chairman Ashraf, who visited Bangladesh twice since December to lobby for the tour yesterday said, “I want to thank the BCB and the Bangladesh government for their support for this tour.”
Last month, the ICC had announced a “special dispensation” to be made only in exceptional circumstances in order to ensure that a bilateral series take place even if the ruling body has determined it “unsafe” to appoint its officials for such series. This would allow such series to be manned by “non-neutral match officials.”
Pakistan government had promised foolproof security for the Bangladesh team after their security delegation assessed the situation there last month