Blow For Bangladesh As Mushfiqur Rahim Declines To Tour Pakistan

In a big blow for Bangladesh ahead of their tour of Pakistan, their batting mainstay Mushfiqur Rahim has declined to visit the country. Both the countries recently managed to chart out a plan for a full-fledged series after Bangladesh initially hesitated to play Test cricket in Pakistan due to security reasons. But on Tuesday, Pakistan Cricket Board managed to convince their Bangladesh counterpart for a series in their backyard.

The Tigers will now play two Tests, three T20Is and one ODI in Pakistan. However, they will not play the entire series at a stretch as the tour has been split into three parts. The tour will start with the three T20Is, scheduled to be held between January 24 to 27. Bangladesh will then leave for home before returning to play the first Test, starting on February 7. It will be followed by another break.

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After the first Test against Bangladesh, Pakistan’s players will take part in the Pakistan Super League. After the conclusion of the tournament on March 22, the second Test of the series will begin on April 5. Prior to the second Test, the one-off ODI will take place on March 3. Both the Tests are part of the World Test Championship.

But Bangladesh’s hope of doing well in Pakistan after a forgettable tour of India has taken a big blow with Mushfiqur Rahim declining to visit the country. Bangladesh’s chief selector Minhajul Abedin confirmed the news and stated that the player will be left out of the series once he submits a formal letter regarding his decision.

“Mushfiq(ur) rang me today to inform that he will not go to Pakistan. We are now waiting for his formal letter. Once he does that, we will leave him out of the series,” Minhajul Abedin told AFP.

Mushfiqur Rahim’s absence would be a blow for Bangladesh who are already without suspended allrounder Shakib Al Hasan. The ace allrounder is serving a ban imposed on him for breaching ICC’s Code of Conduct.