The Pakistan Cricket Board and the Bangladesh Cricket Board have agreed to collaborate on a number of cricket related measures and their security team will also visit Pakistan to inspect security before finilising a tour to Pakistan in a few months. Reports received here from Bangladesh suggested that the Bangladesh’s security team will come to Pakistan next month before going ahead with a planned bilateral series in April next year and the PCB will support Bangladesh to a vice-president seat in the ICC.
PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf and COO Subhan Ahmad Saturday met BCB members in Dhaka. The PCB officials are on a visit to Bangladesh on the invitation of the BCB. The visit coincides with Pakistan team’s ongoing tour to Bangladesh. The meeting looked at ways of strengthening the partnership between the two boards. The two boards agreed to collaborate and work jointly on not only building the partnership but also developing cricket. Both long term and short term strategies were discussed and the two Boards agreed to extend cooperation in a number of fields.
An official of the board revealed that the PCB will assist Bangladesh in grooming their academy players. Reciprocal tours between women’s team of both countries and partnership for organizing international cricket events in collaboration with other Cricket Boards.
Among other matters, the nomination for ICC President was also discussed. As per ICC’s rotation policy, it is PCB and BCB’s turn to jointly nominate a President. The nominated President will assume office as ICC’s Vice President at the end of ICC’s Annual Conference in 2012 and will thereafter become ICC President in 2014. The PCB officials briefed the Bangladesh Board members that in October 2011 PCB had endorsed Mustafa Kamal’s nomination as the ICC President and therefore PCB feels that it would be an opportune moment to formally announce this nomination today in the presence of both the Chairmen, and when the Pakistan cricket team is already touring Bangladesh.
Zaka said: “I am happy to be in Bangladesh where I received the warmth from a brotherly nation. It was a very fruitful meeting that we had today with the Bangladesh Board and the steps that we agreed to implement will go a long way in supporting our two nations in becoming strong in cricket. We also reaffirmed our support for nomination of Mr. Mustafa Kamal in the ICC.” Commenting on this announcement Mustafa Kamal said: “The support that PCB has given me demonstrates the close relations our two Boards enjoy and it is not the first time that PCB has come forward to support us. Who could forget that it was Pakistan that proposed Bangladesh’s entry into Test cricket. We are indebted to them. I am also encouraged with the steps that we agreed which will help in developing and making Bangladesh cricket more stronger. Since last one year, I have been discussing with some of the Cricket Boards on how to bring back international cricket in Pakistan and to demonstrate that we are genuinely taking steps in this direction my Board today agreed to form a security committee to visit Pakistan in January 2012 to review their security measures. My Board further agreed that Bangladesh cricket team will visit Pakistan in April 2012 as per ICC’s Future Tours Programme”.
