Dhaka: Indian coaches in Bangladesh’s women cricket team’s support staff will not travel to Pakistan for the international series next month amid political tensions between the neighbouring nuclear rivals, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said Sunday.
The Bangladesh women’s team are due to play face Pakistan in three T20 internationals and two ODIs, October 26 to November 4 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
The tour is still subject to security checks by Bangladesh’s government before it can take place.
BCB’s chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury told this agency that if the tour happens, head coach Anju Jain, assistant coach Devika Palshikar, and trainer Kavita Pandey will not accompany the side to Pakistan.
But they will travel with the Bangladesh team when they play the ACC Emerging Women’s Asia Cup in Sri Lanka from October 20 to 28.
“We will have another team travelling to Sri Lanka almost at the same period. We’ve decided to send our Indian coaching staff to Sri Lanka instead of Pakistan to avoid any travel complications,” Nizamuddin said.
“We have started the process. Before confirming the series we are also planning to send someone to see the security arrangement for the Sri Lanka team in their ongoing series,” added Nizamuddin.
Sri Lanka men’s team are in Pakistan for three ODIs and three Twenty20 internationals. Teams have been reluctant to visit Pakistan after 2009’s deadly militant attack on a bus carrying the Sri Lankan team in Lahore.
The Bangladesh women’s team last toured Pakistan in 2015.
PTI
