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The Bangladesh men’s cricket team, after weeks of uncertainty, has officially confirmed its tour of Pakistan for a three-match T20I series, set to be played entirely in Lahore.
The confirmation comes as a significant breakthrough following extensive diplomatic efforts by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
The green light for the series came after PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi met Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) Chairman Nazmul Abedeen and President Farooq Ahmed in Dubai.
Sources reveal the meeting lasted several hours, with Naqvi making a special one-day trip to the UAE to salvage the series.
Initially, Bangladesh were scheduled to play five T20Is in Pakistan, starting May 25 in Faisalabad.
However, the fixture list has been scaled down to three matches, all to be held at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. The updated schedule will be announced in the coming days.
This development ends the cloud of doubt that hovered over the tour due to regional tensions and logistical complications following the mid-season pause in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Sources suggest that negative propaganda and heightened India-Pakistan hostilities had earlier made some Bangladesh players hesitant to travel to Pakistan.
However, Chairman Naqvi’s personal intervention proved decisive. The PCB chief expressed his gratitude to the BCB leadership for finalising the tour and reaffirming their commitment to bilateral cricket.
The upcoming series will mark another step forward in rebuilding cricketing ties between the two nations.
Bangladesh will be led by seasoned wicketkeeper-batter Litton Das, who took over the T20I captaincy earlier this year following Najmul Hossain Shanto’s resignation.
Bangladesh squad for T20Is in UAE and Pakistan:
Litton Das (captain), Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain, Soumya Sarkar, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Jaker Ali, Rishad Hossain, Mahedi Hasan (vice-captain), Tanvir Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Nahid Rana, Shoriful Islam.
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