Won't force players to tour Pakistan, says BCB president Nazmul Hassan

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Nazmul Hassan on Monday said that the board will not force the players to travel to Pakistan for the upcoming tour even if they receive security clearance. Recently, Pakistan had opened its gates to international cricket with Sri Lanka's tour to the country after 10 years owing to security concerns. Till then, Pakistan's home matches were being hosted at Sharjah. Currently awaiting security clearance, BCB President Hassan stated that the consent of players and the team management would be given utmost priority. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has, however, sent an itinerary for Bangladesh's tour of the country comprising of two Tests and three T20s in January and February.

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'We cannot force our players to go to Pakistan'

Speaking to the reporters, Bangladesh Cricket Board President Nazmul Hassan said, "We cannot force our players to go to Pakistan. If a player does not want to go, we will not pressurise anyone to go to Pakistan. I do not think that we should talk about the replacement team now. It will all depend on the situation." He further added, "We have applied to the government to know whether we will get the security clearance for Pakistan series. Once we get the clearance, it will be the opinion of the cricketers. We will respect everyone's opinions and hear every player. There are a lot of matters including the board. After getting the clearance we will sit to discuss these things. We hope that we can make a final decision within the next four to five days."

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South Africa likely to tour Pakistan

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is confident that Cricket South Africa will send its team for a short tour of the country in March next year. The tour is expected to comprise three T20 Internationals. Responding to media reports that South Africa had turned down Pakistan's request for the tour, PCB CEO Wasim Khan said discussions with CSA were still ongoing. "In fact, they have responded very positively to our invitation and we are pretty confident they will come over for the T20 series," Khan said. Pakistan has also invited Ireland and Afghanistan to send their teams to Pakistan next year to play white ball and red ball series but are still awaiting confirmation. Khan said the PCB had held positive talks with CSA officials. 

(With inputs from Agencies)

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