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The Bangladesh cricket team is set to arrive early in Pakistan, four days ahead of schedule, on Tuesday, August 13, due to the political unrest in the country, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced that Bangladesh players will be training for three days each in Lahore and Rawalpindi after their preparation for the two-match Test series got severely affected in Dhaka.
Notably, the overseas coaching staff of Bangladesh was unable to join the players at the Shere Bangla National Stadium last week because of the security concerns. According to ESPNcricinfo, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) are working behind the scenes to get the necessary security clearances for their overseas coaches, with their respective embassies, to get them to Pakistan at the earliest.
The PCB had sent an invitation to the BCB to make their way to Pakistan ahead of schedule, to ensure that the Bangladesh players got “adequate and fair training opportunities” in the build-up to the two-match Test series. The first Test match of the series is scheduled to be played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from August 21 onwards, while the second Test match will begin on August 30.
Salman Naseer, the Chief Operating Officer of the PCB, said the following about the latest development, “Sports is not only about winning and losing, it's also about [camaraderie]. 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.”
After accepting the invitation of the PCB to send their team early in Pakistan, the Chief Executive of the BCB, Nizamuddin Chowdhury, said, “We thank the PCB for giving the Bangladesh cricket team the opportunity to have additional training in Pakistan. This will certainly help the players to [acclimatise] to the conditions and prepare better for the ICC World Test Championship series.”
