On Saturday (August 10), the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced that it had extended an invitation to the Bangladesh men's team to arrive four days earlier than planned, for their upcoming Test tour of the country.
The two sides are set to face off in two Test matches starting on August 21 at Rawalpindi and on August 30 at Karachi. These matches are part of the ICC World Test Championship.
The Bangladesh team had originally been scheduled to land in Islamabad on August 17, four days ahead of the first Test match. However, the political unrest in Bangladesh, following nationwide protests, has contributed to disruptions in the team's preparations for the tour. As a result, the PCB has extended an invitation to to Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to send their team to Pakistan by August 13.
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Preparations have been made now to accommodate the Bangladesh team in Lahore from August 13, allowing them time to organise practice sessions at the Gaddafi Stadium from August 14 to 16 before arriving in Islamabad on August 17, and proceeding from there as per the original plan. In a statement, the PCB said the invitation had been extended to ensure Bangladesh "have adequate and fair training opportunities ahead of the ICC World Test Championship matches."
Bangladesh's 'A' team will also be in Pakistan, but from August 10, as they are set to take on Pakistan Shaheens in two four-day and three one-day matches.
So in the day and age when home teams look to maximise home advantage, Pakistan have decided to go an extra yard to make Bangladesh feel at home ahead of important World Test Championship fixtures.
— Ahsan Iftikhar Nagi (@ahsannagi) August 10, 2024
Really interesting! https://t.co/mOWW6isuFu
PCB: Sport is also about comradery
PCB COO Salman Naseer explained the board's gesture in the same statement: "Sports is not only about winning and losing, it’s also about comradery. I remain confident that the extra training sessions in Lahore will allow the players to showcase their best skills and talent on the global stage.
“We are delighted that the BCB have accepted our offer and we look forward to welcoming the Bangladesh men’s cricket team in Lahore on 13 August with our traditional hospitality. This will allow them to have three additional days of training and practice at one of our iconic venues before proceeding to Islamabad as originally planned.”
The GT20 Canada Eliminator between Bangla Tigers Mississauga and Toronto Nationals ended in a No Result.
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) August 10, 2024
However, Toronto, who finished fourth in the GT20 Canada points table, advanced to Qualifier 2 over the third-placed Bangla Tigers. 🤔
READ: https://t.co/SUl5S6hrF8 pic.twitter.com/sMBOiszPZk
BCB chief executive Nizam Uddin Chowdhury also thanked the PCB for their invitation, acknowledging it would help the Bangladesh players better acclimatise to the conditions in Pakistan.
This is Bangladesh's first Test tour of Pakistan since February 2020, where the second match of the series cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Pakistan did travel to Bangladesh in November and December 2021, winning the Test series 2-0. In a total of 13 Tests between the sides in Test cricket, Pakistan have won 12 and one match has been drawn.
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