KARACHI: The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is confident that Pakistani players will be avaiable to play in the upcoming Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), despite the board cancelling a tour to Pakistan.
Pakistan on Tuesday criticised Bangladesh's decision to abandon a planned cricket tour over security fears and threatened to bar its own players from playing in a Bangladeshi league.
The two nations were scheduled to play a Twenty20 and a one-day international in Lahore this month, albeit pending security clearance. But on Monday Bangladesh shelved what would have been the first international cricket tour of Pakistan since militants wounded seven members of the Sri Lankan team and their assistant coach in Lahore in 2009.
BCB president Nazmul Hassan said the decision had been taken over fears for players' safety, following protests by Bangladeshis and a Facebook campaign against the tour.
But Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Zaka Ashraf said that the decision was “inappropriate”.
Earlier, Pakistan had said that it will bar its players from participating in the BPL if Bangladesh did not tour Pakistan. However, the BCB president was confident that Pakistanis will feature in this year's edition of the BPL.
"I still believe that a large number of Pakistani players will play in the BPL," Hassan said.
The BPL clashes with Pakistan's domestic competition, the Quaid-e-Azam trophy and the PCB is unlikely to allow its players to play in Bangladesh during that period.
"Zaka Ashraf didn't directly say that the players won't play in the BPL. He said that they will have their own league at that point of time, something which might not allow their players to come to Bangladesh. All I can do is hope for their availability," he added.
