ISLAMABAD: Flamboyant West Indies batting superstar Chris Gayle has termed Pakistan as “one of the safest places in the world”.

The 40-year-old, who is currently playing in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) for Chattogram Challengers was replying to a reporters query in Dhaka, who asked him whether Pakistan was a safe country for cricket.

“Pakistan is one of the safest places right now in the world. They say you will get presidential security so you are in good hands,” he said.

Pakistan successfully hosted Sri Lanka for a two-match ICC Test Championship series in December 2019. The Sri Lankan players enjoyed their stay in Pakistan.

Now the country is scheduled to host Bangladesh for two Tests and three Twenty20 Internationals during the ongoing and next months. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) was supposed to give a final answer on what the tour itinerary would consist of on Thursday, but so far it has failed to do so. According to media reports, BCB media Committee Chairman Jalal Yunus said that a decision was likely to be taken in a board meeting on Sunday.

Chairman PCB Ehsan Mani, had already stated that Pakistan would no longer look for neutral venues to stage their home international matches and that he expected opposition sides to tour Pakistan. “The onus will be on the other teams to tell us why they can’t play in Pakistan,” he had stated last month.

Published in Dawn, January 11th, 2020