'Go back Pakistan': Bangladesh cricket fans outraged after visitors carry flag to training

A controversy has erupted ahead of the T20 match between Pakistan and Bangladesh on November 19, after the visitors' flag placed during a practice session in Dhaka has upset the Bangladeshi citizens.

Pakistan head coach Saqlain Mushtaq on Tuesday continued the trend of carrying his country's national flag for training to boost the morale of the squad. Saqlain, who started this trend in the recently-concluded T20 World Cup, continued with the same routine on Tuesday, while heading into the three-match T20I series against Bangladesh.

In the images shared by PCB Media's official Twitter handle, the Pakistan flag can be seen planted on the ground as the team commenced training for the series. However, Bangladesh fans disapproved of the move and many took to Twitter to express their displeasure.

"Go back Pakistan. Bangladesh should stop the series. Ban any kind of Pakistani flag in Bangladesh," tweeted one fan.

Another Twitter user commented: "Different countries have come to Bangladesh innumerable times, many matches have been played by practising. But neither party needed to practice burying their national flag on the ground. But why did Pakistan do that...What does it indicate."

Bangladesh vs Pakistan

The PCB on Monday announced the Pakistan team for the two Tests against Bangladesh, which will be played in Chittagong (November 26-30) and Dhaka (December 4-8).

Opener Imam-Ul-Haq, middle-order batter Kamran Ghulam and off-spinner Bilal Asif have are among the players in 20-player squad, replacing Haris Rauf, Imran Butt, Shahnawaz Dahani, and Yasir Shah, who were part of the 21-player side that toured the West Indies in July/August.

Left-handed Imam was recalled after his stellar performances in the ongoing Quaid-e-Azam Trophy in which he amassed 488 runs in five innings of four matches, including an unbeaten double-century. Imam had played his 11th and last Test against Australia in Adelaide in November/December 2019.

(With inputs from agency)