Pakistan likely to host Bangladesh full series next year

KARACHI - Pakistan is confident of hosting Bangladesh in what will be a ground-breaking home series next year after its cricket chief had a fruitful meeting with Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) officials in Dhaka.

Ijaz Butt, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, met top Bangladesh cricket officials in Dhaka on the sidelines of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) meeting and discussed the possibility of Bangladesh visiting Pakistan in 2011.

Butt said Wednesday that the BCB has shown its willingness on sending a Bangladesh team to Pakistan for a full series.

“Bangladesh has agreed to tour Pakistan and we hope that the series will rake place here soon,” said Butt.

Pakistan has become a no-go zone for international sportspersons after Sri Lankas cricket team was ambushed by terrorists in Lahore in March 2009. The attack left several people, mostly policemen, dead while a number of Sri Lankan cricketers and team officials were injured.

PCB officials have since then been making futile efforts to resume international cricket in Pakistan.

Butt is hopeful that Bangladesh will help break the ice by visiting Pakistan soon.

The PCB chief rejected the impression that relations between the PCB and the BCB were strained after Pakistan refused to send its team to Bangladesh on security grounds.

There have been a few issues between us, but our relations are fine, he said.

Relations between the two boards touched rock bottom in early 2009 when Bangladesh refused to host Pakistan for a series of five One-day Internationals and two Twenty20 matches in March.

Despite requests from the PCB, the tour was eventually called off by the BCB on government advice a day after the terrorist attack in Lahore.

At that time the BCB said that its government refused to give it clearance for the series. However, the general impression in Pakistan was that the BCB was influenced by the Indian cricket board in its decision to cancel the series.