Pakistan blames India for halting Bangladesh tour

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has accused India of putting pressure on Bangladesh in a bid to try and stop them from touring Pakistan.

Bangladesh are scheduled to play two Tests and three Twenty20 Internationals from January to February next year.

However, while Bangladesh are willing to play the Twenty20 series, they are hesitant about playing the Test series in Pakistan due to the security situation there and the fact that many players don’t want to stay in the country for so long.

But on Thursday, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan revealed that many star players are refusing to play the Twenty20 series in Pakistan, which has put the entire tour in doubt.

We are thankful to Sri Lanka for coming. We heard their players’ statements, they said that Pakistan had the perfect environment for cricket and had excellent arrangements with fool-proof security. They didn’t face any problems at all,” Qureshi was quoted as saying by PakPassion.

“We are ready to welcome Bangladesh. It looks like they were ready to tour. But I suspect pressure from India is proving to be a hindrance.

“Bangladesh should take this decision independently. They can continue their ties with India, but in international sports, they shouldn’t involve these type of politics.”

Dhaka/AKA