Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq, is ecstatic that international cricket is set to return to Pakistan after three years, with the Bangladesh Cricket Board confirming a short tour to the cricket deprived country later this month. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), in separate statements, confirmed on Sunday that the latter would play a short One-Day series, comprising of a solitary One Day International and T20 in Lahore at the end of this month. The ODI will be played on April 29 followed by a T20 international the next day.
This will be the first time since the terrorist attacks on the Sri Lankan team in March 2009 that a Test playing nation will be touring Pakistan. Since the attacks on the Sri Lankan team that left six players of the team and their assistant coach injured, Pakistan has been hosting its bilateral series on the neutral venues of the United Arab Emirates, England and New Zealand. This is not only causing huge financial losses to the Pakistan Cricket Board but also depriving the cricketers of home advantage.
Happy to hear about the Bangladesh’s tour of Pakistan, Misbah said that it has been quite difficult for the team to play its home series without home advantage.
“One of the most difficult things for me or the rest of the Pakistan team players has been to play away from home all the time in the last three years. It was disappointing not to get a chance to play in front of our people, on our own grounds,” said Misbah while talking to journalists.
Misbah hopes that the Bangladesh tour of Pakistan will prove to be a step forward and will lead to the resumption of the long awaited bilateral series with nemesis India. However, he did not agree with the concept of playing a short One-Day series against the Men in Blue on any neutral venue.
“We need to have a regular bilateral series because nowadays when we play after a long gap, there is lot of tension associated with our matches, and there is extra pressure on the players. If we play regularly against each other I think it will be better for people of both countries,” said the Pakistan skipper replying to a query on cricketing relations with India.
