I would have toured Pakistan: Mashrafe Mortaza

Veteran pacer Mashrafe Mortaza has said that he would have toured Pakistan if he was part of the Bangladesh Test and Twenty20 International (T20I) squad.

Bangladesh were originally scheduled to arrive in Pakistan in January for three T20Is and two Tests.

While speaking to reporters after a Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) match, the 36-year-old, who has retired from Tests and T20Is, said he would have also discussed with his family before arriving at a final decision regarding the aforementioned tour.

“To be honest if you ask me, I would have gone but obviously I would have consulted with my family,” Mashrafe was quoted as saying by Daily Star newspaper. “I don’t know what my family would have said as this would be the first time I would discuss this matter. But if you only ask me about going to Pakistan or not, I would say yes, I would go.”

“But then again it doesn’t mean those who does not want to go are fault as obviously life comes first before the game. So, it is important for the individual call and with due respect everyone is right from their own perspective,” he added.

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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.

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.

However, the board president confirmed that senior batsman Mushfiqur Rahim has 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]."