The PCB has sent its chief operating officer to Dhaka to push the Bangladesh Cricket Board to go ahead with its tour to Pakistan in April. After some unusual delay on part of the Bangladesh board to give dates to the PCB for the visit of its security delegation to Pakistan, the PCB has sent COO Subhan Ahmad to meet with BCB officials. “The main purpose is to send someone to go and personally express condolences with the BCB and family of Manzur Ahmed the chief executive of the BCB who expired this month,” a board official said.
But there is no doubt that the PCB is desperate to see some progress being made on its invitation to the BCB to send its team to Pakistan. Reports that some Bangladeshi players and the team’s foreign staffs are reluctant about touring Pakistan because of security situation has also left the PCB worried. “Yes we do want to see some progress about the tour and the first step has to be the visit of the Bangladesh security delegation which was supposed to come to Pakistan this month,” the official said. Reports said that Subhan will also be giving a detailed security plan to the BCB, which was prepared after the PCB met with interior minister, Rehman Malik, and other interior ministry and police officials. “We intend to show them the detailed security plan for the tour so that their apprehensions can be dealt with,” PTI quoted a source as saying. No Test-playing nation has visited Pakistan since militants attacked the Sri Lankan team in March, 2009 in Lahore, killing six Pakistani policemen, a van driver and injuring some of the visiting players. PCB chief, Zaka Ashraf, has in recent days, said in the media that the security situation has improved in Pakistan and will improve further so it is time for the ICC and member countries to start sending teams to the country.