The Bangladesh Cricket Board will send a security team to Pakistan – second in two years – to show their commitment to tour the country after ICC vice-president AHM Mustafa Kamal had denied any “unconditional commitment” from Bangladesh to tour Pakistan three days ago. BCB president Nazmul Hassan has questioned Kamal’s conflicting statement, and will ask the game’s governing body for clarification on his comments.
“We think it is time to send a second security team,” Hassan said. “A lot of time has passed from the last inspection [in March last year]. We will sit in the next few days with the government about forming the team.
“We haven’t made any specific decisions about a tour date but we discussed our end of the problem with him [PCB president Zaka Ashraf]. We talked about a time slot, which will be between the end of March and the start of April.”
Hassan met Ashraf in New Delhi during the third ODI between India and Pakistan where, according to the BCB chief, the talks were cordial and lacked any ‘negative vibe’. “What I explained to him was the reason behind Bangladesh not travelling [to Pakistan] this time. He understood our problem, was reasonable and his hospitality was really good.
“What he said to [ESPNcricinfo] was not what he told me. I still believe that based on our cordial discussion, the Pakistani players will take part in BPL. I think it is a knee-jerk reaction, because what we discussed in Delhi didn’t give me a negative vibe.”
Regarding Kamal’s comments about there being no commitment to tour Pakistan, Hassan reacted strongly, mentioning the exact dates of sending letters and the exact language. “I don’t say anything without confirming and without knowing, so what he said was completely wrong. I have all the proof. “On April 12 last year, a letter was sent from the BCB, [which mentioned that] we were going there to play, but that tour didn’t happen due to a court ruling. The second letter was sent from here on October 8 where a timeline of December 12 to 20 was given for touring.
“Both these letters were sent during his [Kamal’s] time. The directors told me they don’t know anything about the letter. Our CEO made all the communications on behalf of the board. He told me that it was Kamal bhai who asked him to send the letters,” he said.
Hassan showed the minutes of the April 15, 2012 ICC meeting to the media, the words on Bangladesh’s tour highlighted in green. “We go back to April last year when we sent a letter on the 12th. On the April 15 ICC meeting, it was written in the minutes that Bangladesh will go to play in Pakistan, and they would have to go even if the ICC don’t send match officials. We cannot cancel the tour, we have to go. “I don’t know if there can be any more difficult conditions for touring. I also saw that only Mustafa Kamal was present from Bangladesh in that meeting. If the minutes of the ICC meeting are challenged by the ICC, we would like to be clarified on this issue. We would also ask them why such a thing was written in the minutes when the vice-president himself is saying such a thing was not discussed,” he said.
