Former Pakistan captain turned commentator Ramiz Raja has slammed the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) for refusing to send their cricket team to Pakistan.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has been attempting to revive international cricket in Pakistan, which led to Sri Lanka becoming the first time to come to Pakistan for a Test series.
Bangladesh, next in line, however, remain hesitant due to security concerns in the Middle East.
Ramiz Raja made a strong statement against the Bangladesh board and accused them of not providing a valid excuse for their consistent hesitance.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Raja said:
I do not understand how Bangladesh can refuse to play a Test match in Karachi and Rawalpindi due to tensions in the Middle East. If that’s the case then the situation in all of Asia isn’t great, so cricket shouldn’t happen in Asia at all.
Similarly, there is knife rage on streets in England and bushfires in Australia, so this logic of Bangladesh baffles me as Pakistan government has made it clear that they will remain neutral as far Middle East tensions are concerned.
Ramiz Raja further claimed that if Bangladesh continues to sabotage Pakistan’s efforts to revive international cricket in Pakistan then the board should approach International Cricket Council (ICC) to resolve the matter.
I think ICC should intervene in this matter. They had sent their umpires and match officials to Pakistan which means they consider Pakistan safe. Pakistan has assured Bangladesh that they will be provided with presidential-level security. Sri Lanka also praised the security provided to them during the recent Test series in Pakistan.
He further stated:
Asian bloc needs to step forward and help Pakistan. The ground reality with regards to the security situation in Pakistan is completely different as opposed to Bangladesh’s perception. They should have considered ground realities and should have made a better decision.
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