West Indies’ prolific opener Chris Gayle, on Thursday, named Pakistan as one of the safest places in the world today after Test cricket returned to the country with the recent tour of Sri Lanka.

Gayle, who is currently playing for Chattogram Challengers in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), focused on the presence of the presidential-level security provided by the authorities of Pakistan which ensure the safety of the visiting teams in the country.

“Pakistan is one of the safest places right now in the world. They say you will get presidential security so you are in good hands. I mean we are in good hands too in Bangladesh, right?” Gayle said.

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The opener’s comments come at a point when Bangladesh officials are mulling over the option for touring the country for a Test series.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has asked the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for a week to finalise their decision regarding the upcoming tour of Pakistan.

According to sources, the BCB wants to have internal discussions regarding Pakistan’s proposal of playing the Test series first in their scheduled tour.

Earlier, while talking to media on Wednesday evening, the BCB President Nazmul Hasan had originally claimed that the final decision regarding the tour would be announced on Thursday.

Bangladesh were scheduled to arrive in Pakistan in January for three T20Is and two Tests and the PCB was hopeful the full tour would go ahead given that Sri Lanka had visited the country for the Test series.

The BCB had already started seeking consent of their players regarding the tour. It is reported that the Bangladesh Test captain Mominul Haque along with few other cricketers, have agreed to tour Pakistan.