Bangladesh vs Pakistan: Bangladesh confirms tour of Pakistan in the end of April

One One-Day International and one Twenty20 International to be held. The ODI is scheduled for 29 April 2012 and the Twenty20 will be played one day later at the same venue.

The ICC Board were informed today that the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have agreed the Bangladesh tour of Pakistan will take place and will involve one One-Day International and one Twenty20 International to be held in Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

 There has been no cricket between two Full Member nations in Pakistan since the attack on the Sri Lanka team in March 2009. The ODI is scheduled for 29 April 2012 and the Twenty20 will be played one day later at the same venue. Thereafter, the ICC's Anti Corruption and Security Unit will commission a localised risk assessment to determine whether its officials and staff are appropriately protected by the proposed security plan, before any further decision is taken in relation to their appointment.

 ast month, the ICC had introduced a "special dispensation" to be made only in "exceptional circumstances" in order to ensure that bilateral series take place even if the ruling body has determined it "unsafe" to appoint its officials for such series. This would allow such series to be manned by "non-neutral match officials", a departure from the ICC's Standard Playing Conditions, pending permission from its executive board.

Bangladesh was due for a full tour of Pakistan in 2012 under the ICC's Future Tours Programme. The PCB also said the remaining matches of the tour will be played at dates mutually agreed between the two Boards at venues including Bangladesh.

There had been several itineraries proposed for the tour, including a three-match ODI series and a series of two ODIs and one Twenty20 international. Karachi and Rawalpindi were the other possible venues but ESPNcricinfo understands they were dropped on security grounds.

Sunday's announcement follows lengthy negotiations between the two boards over the terms of the tour, and at times it looked as though the tour would be a non-starter. A nine-member delegation, headed by Kamal and including security officials from that country, visited Pakistan in March for a demonstration of the security plan for the proposed series. The plan was well received, it is believed, but confirmation of the series was delayed. One reason, according to the BCB, was that it was waiting for a government advisory; another possible reason was the ICC's special dispensation plan, which possibly implied that the venue was not safe for neutral officials. 

Jalal Yunus, the BCB's media committee chairman, said Kamal had taken charge of the matter and handled it personally. "We haven't talked about it since Zaka Ashraf came and discussed the matter officially, so it has been 2-3 months," he said. "The BCB president must have known the government stance and that's why he has confirmed. He has handled it personally from the beginning."

The tour will come a little more than three years after masked terrorists attacked the Sri Lanka team bus and a van carrying ICC officials to Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, on what would have been the third day of the second Test of that tour. Six Sri Lankan cricketers were injured in the attack, and six security personnel and two civilians were killed.

Since then, Pakistan have hosted "home series" in UAE and other neutral venues. They played New Zealand in New Zealand (2009-10), England and Australia in England (2010). UAE has been their favoured home base, having hosted South Africa, Sri Lanka and England.

 BCB President Mustafa Kamal said: "The public of Pakistan have been deprived of cricket and we felt that we needed to support them. The reception we received when we toured Lahore and Karachi on our security visit was overwhelming."

Zaka Ashraf, the PCB chairman, said: "I want to thank the BCB and the Bangladesh Government for their support for this tour."

ICC will advise of other agenda items considered by the ICC Board at the conclusion of the meeting tomorrow (Monday) when ICC will hold a press conference.

Gaddafi stadium in lahore, which is waiting host for Bangladesh