As the dust continues to settle from the recent military tensions between India and Pakistan, Bangladesh’s T20I series in Pakistan hangs in the balance. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has confirmed it is in “active and ongoing discussions” with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) regarding its upcoming tour of Pakistan later this month, citing player safety as its top priority.
The tour, which includes five T20Is scheduled in Lahore and Faisalabad, was supposed to begin on May 25, with the Bangladesh team due to land in Pakistan on May 21. But with regional tensions still simmering and the Pakistan Super League (PSL) already disrupted, the series is far from guaranteed.
In a statement released on Saturday, the BCB made its position clear:
“The safety and security of our players and support staff remain the Board’s highest priority. All decisions concerning the tour will be made with careful consideration of the current situation in Pakistan.”
The backdrop is serious. The recent India-Pakistan military escalation led to an armed conflict resulting in the indefinite suspension of PSL 10, with eight matches left to play. Foreign players, including two Bangladeshi cricketers — Rishad Hossain and Nahid Rana — exited the country and landed safely in Dhaka on Friday.
Both Rishad and Rana had featured in the PSL 10. While they are included in Bangladesh’s T20I squad for both the UAE training camp and Pakistan tour, sources say they are unlikely to return to the PSL, even if it resumes in the near future.
One solution, in such a case, would be hosting the Pakistan-Bangladesh T20I series in Dubai, which is also in the running to host the rest of the PSL 10 matches.
Bangladesh’s squad is already expected to fly to Dubai this week to prepare for the series. However, the entire tour could hinge on how the regional situation evolves and whether Pakistan can offer the level of security assurances the BCB is seeking.
For now, all eyes are on the next 72 hours. If the security situation stabilizes and both boards find common ground, the Pakistan-Bangladesh series could go ahead — but the ball is very much still in the air.
