Bangladesh Test squad to arrive in Pakistan on Tuesday

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Saturday confirmed that the Bangladesh squad will arrive in Lahore on Aug 13 for a two-Test series, scheduled to be held in Rawalpindi and Karachi later this month.

The Bangladesh squad was due to arrive in Pakistan for the series on Aug 17. However, due to the ongoing political turmoil in Bangladesh whose prime minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid resigned and fled to India earlier this week as a result of mass protests across the country over government job quotas, the schedule had to be changed.

The PCB had requested the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to send its national team early in order to practise in Pakistan for the Test series. The opening Test will be played from Aug 21-25 in Rawalpindi while Karachi will host the second Test from Aug 30-Sept 3.

After arriving in Lahore, the Bangladesh cricketers will train at the Gaddafi Stadium from Aug 14-16 before travelling to Islamabad on Aug 17 to practise at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from Aug 18-20.

The BCB welcomed the gesture shown by the PCB for the Bangladesh team’s series on Pakistan soil.

“We thank the PCB for giving the Bangladesh team the opportunity to have additional training in Pakistan. This will certainly help the players to acclimate to the conditions and prepare better for the ICC World Test Championship series,” BCB chief executive Nizam Uddin Chowdhury said.

Commenting on the development, PCB chief operating officer Salman Naseer said, “We are delighted that the BCB has accepted our offer and we look forward to welcoming the Bangladesh men’s cricket team in Lahore on Aug 13 with our traditional hospitality. “This will allow them to have three additional days of training and practice at one of our iconic venues before proceeding to Islamabad as originally planned.”

This will be Bangladesh’s first tour of Pakistan since 2020 when they played three T20 Internationals in Lahore and one-off Test in Rawalpindi.

Bangladesh also played two matches of the 2023 ACC Asia Cup in Lahore against Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2024