Bangladesh have approached South Africa for a series
in May after the postponement of a series in Pakistan, which means due
to its prior commitments, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is unlikely
to go ahead with the Pakistan tour even if the Dhaka High Court gives
the go-ahead.
According to reports, BCB has offered Cricket South Africa (CSA) to
pay all the cost, whether the series takes place in Bangladesh or South
Africa. Bangladesh want to play three ODIs and five Twenty20s in May
"We have received the request and we are in the process of checking
whether it would be possible. We've got nothing against it; it's just
about scheduling. At the moment, I can say it is a request we are
looking at," CSA's acting chief executive, Jacques Faul, said.
The tour to Pakistan for an ODI and a Twenty20, on April 29 and 30 at
the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, was put off after the Dhaka High Court,
citing security concerns, ordered the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to
postpone the tour by four weeks.
Had the tour gone ahead, Bangladesh would have been the first
international team to tour Pakistan in three years since the 2009 attack
on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore. For the last three years,
Pakistan has been a no-go zone for international teams and they had to
play most of their home matches at neutral venues, mostly in Dubai and
Abu Dhabi.
CSA will sit down with South African Cricketers' Association (SACA)
and national coach Gary Kirsten before deciding on Bangladesh's request.
South Africa have a packed schedule and SACA is unlikely to give a
green signal for the tour as chief executive Tony Irish said it falls
outside the Future Tours Programme (FTP). "Because this will fall
outside the Future Tours Programme, it needs the permission of SACA to
take place. And what I can say at the moment is that it is unlikely we
will go through with it," he said.
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