May 28, 2003	Wednesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 25,1424

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KARACHI, May 27: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has finalized venues of Bangladesh’s maiden full tour of Pakistan starting in mid-August.

According to a PCB spokesman, Bangladesh during their 36-day tour will play three Tests and five One-day Internationals.

“Originally Bangladesh were slated to visit Pakistan for a series of two Tests and three one-dayers. But we have offered them an additional Test as well as two more ODIs,” the spokesman told Dawn on Tuesday.

Ramiz Raja, the PCB chief executive, has written to the Bangladesh Cricket Control Board (BCCB) seeking its final approval for the tour beginning on Aug 17.

If the BCCB agrees to PCB’s proposal it will be the first time that Bangladesh are going to play a three-match Test series.

The Tests are scheduled to be staged at Karachi Aug 20-24), Multan (Aug 27-31) and Peshawar (Sept 3-7) while the One-day Internationals will be played at Rawalpindi (Sept 10), Faisalabad (Sept 13), Lahore (Sept 16), Multan (Sept 19) and Karachi (Sept 22).

In their previous three Tests against Pakistan, Bangladesh suffered innings defeats at Multan (in the Asian Test Championship in August 2001), Chittagong and Dhaka in January 2002.

Since being granted Test status in June 2000, Bangladesh have lost 18 of their 19 Tests and only managed to escape defeat in the remaining Test (against Zimbabwe) because of rain. In the latest series against South Africa at home, Bangladesh lost both Tests by innings.

The minnows have not won a One-day International since a shock victory over Pakistan at Northampton in the 1999 World Cup in England.

Prior to their Pakistan visit, Bangladesh face a baptism of fire when they tour Australia in June-July for two Tests and three one-dayers under their new coach Dav Whatmore, the Colombo-born Australian who guided Sri Lanka to World Cup title in 1996.

The tourists are expected to return home on Sept 23.

Meanwhile, Pakistan have confirmed their availability for the Morocco Cup in Tangier in August.

“We have accepted the invitation to play in the Morocco Cup from Aug 3 to 14. But neither we have any details as to which are the other participating teams nor whether (the tournament) is a triangular or quadrangular,” the PCB spokesman said.