Bangladesh Agrees to Play Test Series in Pakistan

President of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), Nazmul Hasan, has termed the security situation and measures undertaken during the recent T20 series in Pakistan as satisfactory.

During a media briefing in Dhaka, the BCB head pledged to send the Bangladeshi cricket team to Pakistan for a test match scheduled to be held at Rawalpindi from 7 to 11 February.

The BCB Chief said:

Earlier, BCB was doubtful about the security situation in Pakistan. Therefore, the board agreed to decide about test matches after the T20 series. We are content with the security situation in Pakistan. It is impossible to give more security than what the law enforcement agencies of Pakistan have provided the Bangladeshi team.

While announcing to visit Pakistan for a test match, Nazmul Hasan said:

The BCB is pleased with the security measures that were taken during the T20 series. None of the players or the coaching staff complained about anything. As a result, there is no reason for the Board to decide against playing a test match in Pakistan. We are going to play test series in Pakistan.

Commenting on the whitewash in T20 series, the BCB chief said:

The performance in the T20 series was no way near the board’s expectations. The board is disappointed with the approach of the team. We could not believe that the Bangladeshi team can play this way. The team made 90 runs without any losses and ended up on 130 or 140. Even after 12 overs, the team remained defensive in T20 games. We have not witnessed defensive cricket from our team in a long time.

The BCB chief questioned Mahmudullah’s reading of the wicket:

I asked him why he opted to bat first. He said the wicket was batting-friendly. After the match, he said the batting was tough. I don’t understand what happened. Did he fail to read the wicket properly? Perhaps, Yes.

Bangladesh’s tour to Pakistan has been divided into three legs. The first leg comprised of the T20 series that was held in Lahore. The second consists of a single test match scheduled in Rawalpindi in February. While the last leg includes an ODI and a test match to be played in Karachi after the PSL.