After Australia, Pakistan invites Bangladesh to play pink ball Test

After announcing the country will further not play home international cricket matches in neutral venues and inviting Cricket Australia for a tour, the Pakistan Cricket Board has now sent a proposed itinerary for a day/night pink ball Test series to neighbouring country Bangladesh.

The two-match series being planned in January next year will be a part of the ICC World Test Championship.

The board’s CEO Wasim Khan on Wednesday (December 11) said that one of the two matches during Bangladesh’s tour of Pakistan should be played under the floodlights in Karachi.

On the contrary, the Bangladesh Cricket Board officials said that they will be able to give confirmation for the tour in a weeks time after seeking clearance from their government.

Also read: No more international matches at neutral venues: Pakistan Cricket Board

The move comes after PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani on Tuesday (December 10) made it clear that Pakistan will not play any of its future home matches in neutral venues and that the onus will be on other teams to explain as to why they don’t want to play in the country.

“If any team has any objection to playing in Pakistan they have to give us a valid reason for this. We now intend to play all our home series in Pakistan,” Mani had said.

Wasim Khan said that the PCB is confident Bangladesh will send its team for the two Tests and three T20 Internationals.

“We have also invited South Africa, Afghanistan and Ireland to tour Pakistan and we might host one of them sometime after the PSL in March,” he said.

Pakistan has never hosted a day-night Test match as no five-day game was held in the country since the last 10 years after terrorists attacked the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in March 2009, leaving six Pakistani policemen and one civilian driver dead.

Also read: Sri Lanka begin first Pakistan Test tour since 2009 attack

Pakistan is hosting its first Test in a decade from Wednesday in Rawalpindi against Sri Lanka.

Wasim said day-night Tests were a practical step towards reviving the longer format of the game and Pakistan would also now like to play at least one Test of a series with the pink ball at home.

Wasim also made it clear that the disbanded Cricket Committee would be appointed afresh with an independent Chairman by January.

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram, who was a member of the defunct cricket committee which recommended the sacking of Mickey Arthur and his team of coaches after the World Cup, is said to be a strong candidate to be appointed as head of the new panel.

“The PCB Chairman and CEO will sit down soon with Wasim and discuss the situation with him. They will also take his feedback on which other former players should be inducted on the cricket committee, a reliable source in the PCB said.

(With inputs from agencies)