Under the captaincy of Najmul Hossain Shanto, Bangladesh is expected to play Pakistan for an away two-match Test series. However, the recent disturbing conditions in the country where the former player’s houses have been set on fire, while the prime minister of the country, Sheikh Hasina, has already left the country after being forced to resign.
The Bangladesh players couldn’t train at the Bangabandhu National Stadium due to the recent conditions of the country, while they were forced to go through the gym sessions only.
The squad of the national side hasn’t been announced yet, and till there is development in the situation, they are hardly going to be able to do so.
Bangladesh could skip Pakistan Test tour in August
Bangladesh’s senior men’s side is supposed to be part of the two red-ball games, which are going to start in Rawalpindi on August 21 and the National Stadium in Karachi on August 30, but in the current scenario, it will be difficult for the team to travel Pakistan.
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Even the ‘A team’s’ tour was thought to be under the clouds. The former captain of the senior men’s side, Mominul Haque, was supposed to be part of the ‘A’ series against Pakistan Shaheens in preparation for the upcoming games in the longest format.
A source in the Pakistan Cricket Board has informed about being aware of the current developments in the touring country. He also expressed that their board had already offered the visiting Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to fly out their red-ball side to Rawalpindi at the earliest to make sure that the series would be on.
“The PCB has even offered to host their players for the extra days and provide them with all the training facilities in Rawalpindi ahead of the Test matches, but they have not responded as yet.” The source remarked.
The visiting cricket board delayed the arrival of their A side to Pakistan by 48 hours, which has raised doubts about the upcoming series of the senior men from both countries. They are expected to touch base on August 17, while A side is due to arrive on August 07.
Bangladesh lost their last Test series against the same opponent when they toured them just before the year 2020. They lost the opening game of the series by a huge margin before the rest of the tour was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) source said that they had been trying their level best to keep in touch with the BCB but the communication was quite hard in these current circumstances.
“With the BCB president (Najmul Hasan Papon) also leaving the country, the board is not functioning normally.” The source noted.
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In the current standing of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25, the Bangladesh side is in the eighth position, with one win in four games, as they are due to face India for another two-match Test series in September.
Shan Masood-led Pakistan side, on the other hand, is stationed in the fifth position with a couple of wins in five games. They are also scheduled to play England in a three-match series in the longest format during the late Autumn season.