PCB mulling options trying to convince Bangladesh to play Test series in Pakistan: Sources

The Pakistan Cricket Board is mulling over several options in a bid to convince Bangladesh to tour Pakistan for the two-match Test series, according to sources. A reliable source in the PCB told PTI on Friday that the Bangladesh Board has been asked to send a delegation to Pakistan for talks on the scheduled series.

"The feeling is that the BCB can still be convinced to come and play the Tests in Pakistan despite their stance that they can't have a long duration tour of the country at the moment," the source said. He said several options will be put before the BCB officials and one of them is to play the matches in Karachi and Rawalpindi. Another option is to split the series with Bangladesh playing one Test in January and the second one later in the year.

"Pakistan is willing to address the BCB's concerns and is also ready to make their stay short but they want the Bangladesh team to play Tests even at the cost of forgoing the white ball series as Pakistan is short on Test matches," he said. "Pakistan is even willing to provide them presidential-level security," he added.

The source said that playing the series at neutral venues was out of the question as the PCB strongly felt that with teams now coming to Pakistan, especially Sri Lanka, the BCB must give a feasible reason for not wanting to play the Tests in Pakistan. He also said that the PCB itself was now feeling the heat as it could end up facing litigations from its broadcaster and sponsors if Bangladesh does not fulfill its commitment as per the ICC calendar.

"PCB has contractual obligations with broadcasters and sponsors and the Bangladesh series is part of the contract signed with these people. If the series is not held in Pakistan on time, the PCB could end up facing litigations for loss of revenue," he said. He said the PCB will not rule out the option of seeking compensation from the BCB if it faced litigations from its broadcaster and sponsors.