Bangladesh's Mushfiqur declines to visit Pakistan for series

Bangladesh cricket team faced another blow ahead of their Pakistan tour after wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim on Thursday (January 16) refused to visit the host country, a team official said.

“Mushfiq(ur) rang me today to inform that he will not go to Pakistan. We are now waiting for his formal letter. Once he does that, we will leave him out of the series,” chief selector Minhajul Abedin told AFP.

Mushfiqur’s absence could be a blow for the tourists who are already participating without suspended all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan in the forthcoming series.

Minhajul said they are likely to announce the squad for the series in a day or two.

Also read: Bangladesh rejects Test proposal in Pakistan, will play three T20Is

A depleted Bangladesh squad is scheduled to play three Twenty20 internationals, two Tests and one one-day international in Pakistan between January and April.

However, due to the ongoing tension in the Middle East between Iran and the United States, the Bangladesh Cricket Board has rejected Pakistan’s proposal of playing the full Test series and will just participate in the three Twenty20 Internationals later this month.

“They (government authorities) have told us to play the three Twenty20s as quickly as possible in a short period. Later, if the situation improves, we can play Test matches. We are going to communicate the same thing to Pakistan Cricket Board,” BCB president Nazmul Hassan told reporters in Dhaka after a meeting of the board on Sunday (January 13).

International cricket has gradually returned to Pakistan in the last four years after it was suspended in the wake of terrorist attacks on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore in March 2009.

(With inputs from agencies)