Pakistan Cricket Board comes up with a historical move for Bangladesh Tests amidst political turmoil

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has proposed a safe passage for the Bangladesh Test squad for the upcoming two-match Test series starting on August 21 at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi.

The PCB has extended this offer to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to fly the Bangladesh team out of their country as soon as possible.

Bangladesh is currently experiencing civil unrest due to the resignation of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. After resigning from her role, Sheikh Hasina left the country in a hurry and went out of the country to move herself into a safer place.

As a result, there have been riots and protests all over the country. Many houses, temples and historic places have been set on fire. The airports were shut down for some hours with many flights to the country either delayed or cancelled.

Also read: Mumbai likely to be the venue for ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 as unrest continues in Bangladesh

PCB proposes safe passage for Bangladesh Test squad amidst political turmoil

Due to the ongoing conditions, there are serious concerns about the Bangladesh Test team's capability to travel out of the country. According to a report by Press Trust of India (PTI), the PCB has offered a safe fly-out for the Bangladesh Test squad.

The reports also mentioned that the PCB has also offered to host the Bangladeshi players for extra days of training. The Board will also provide all the important training facilities in Rawalpindi to prepare for the upcoming Test series. The BCB is yet to respond to PCB's offer.

According to Cricket Pakistan, a PCB source mentioned that the PCB is eager to maintain smooth communication with BCB in this situation but the situation is too bad to make any contact. The BCB president Nazmul Hassan is also believed to be leaving the country amid the ongoing political unrest.

"With the BCB president (Nazmul Hassan Papon) also leaving the country, the board is not functioning normally," the source added.

Bangladesh's schedule for the next two Test tours

The Bangladesh A team is scheduled to arrive in Pakistan on August 8 while the Test squad is expected to land on August 17. The departure of A team from Bangladesh was delayed by a day due to the airports being closed because of political turmoil.

Bangladesh's tour to Pakistan consists of two Tests. The first Test will be played from August 21-25 in Rawalpindi while the second Test will be played from August 30-September 3 in Karachi.

After the tour of Pakistan, Bangladesh were scheduled to tour India for two Tests and 3 T20Is. The Tests will be played in Chennai and Kanpur respectively. The three T20Is will be played in Dharamsala, Delhi, and Hyderabad respectively.

Mashrafe Mortaza's house gets burnt by vandals

Cricket has also been affected due to the ongoing situation in Bangladesh. Recently, images had emerged of the country's former captain and legendary cricketer Mashrafe Mortaza's house being burnt by the vandals.

Mortaza is a Member of Parliament (MP) from the Narail-2 constituency in Khulna. He won his seat as a candidate of the Awami League party, which is led by Sheikh Hasina in the country's general election in 2024.

Mortaza, a member of Parliament from the Narail-2 constituency in the Khulna division, won his seat as an Awami League candidate led by Sheikh Hasina in the general elections in 2024.