Bangladesh says no to Tests, adamant on touring Pakistan for T20Is only

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has decided against sending their team for a two-match Test series to Pakistan as per Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) request. The BCB is still adamant on touring Pakistan only for the Twenty20 International (T20I) series.

While speaking to journalists after a board meeting in Dhaka, the BCB President Nazmul Hasan said that the Bangladesh government has instructed them to not allow the team to stay in Pakistan for a long period due to the recent escalation of tensions in the Middle East.

"We are clear cut, but let's see how they react. As far as security is concerned, T20 is a better option," Hasan said. "They [PCB] should be happy that we still want to go to play T20s. We just wanted rescheduling of the Tests, not saying we won't tour. This is the best thing we can offer to Pakistan."

Reacting to the latest development, the PCB’s spokesperson said that the board will reply to BCB after receiving a formal response from them. However, the board's spokesperson added that anything less than a two-match Test series is not acceptable to PCB. PCB had made it clear to BCB President that they can play the Test series first and the T20I series at a later date.

Bangladesh were originally 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, had agreed to tour Pakistan.

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However, the board president had already confirmed that senior batsman Mushfiqur Rahim opted out of the tour.

"Mushfiqur never showed any interest in touring Pakistan. The other players said that they wanted a short tour. We have informed PCB about our players' consent," he said. "We won't get most of our coaches, but our head coach is ready if it is a short tour [T20I series]."