KARACHI: Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Shahryar Khan on Monday confirmed that the board is looking for another country as a neutral venue to host the series against Bangladesh, as hosting it in the United Arab Emirates would not be financially feasible for PCB.
Shahryar returned home on Monday night after attending an informal meeting with his Sri Lankan and Bangladeshi counterparts in Colombo. The chairman PCB confirmed that Bangladesh has turned down an invitation from PCB to tour Pakistan this year.
“They’re not coming to Pakistan this year, this is confirmed. They might come to Pakistan next year, but this year we are looking to play at a neutral venue,†Shahryar told media in Karachi.
“We might play in Sri Lanka as hosting it in UAE would not be financially suitable for us. We will talk about these issues before making a final decision,†he said.
The chairman PCB confirmed that Bangladesh will send a high-performance team to Pakistan this year, likely in summer, but dates will be finalised in due course.
He also rejected the idea of boycotting Bangladesh because of their refusal to tour Pakistan saying it would not be good for international cricket.
Shahryar confirmed that Pakistan will take up the matter of bilateral series with India during the ICC meeting, but denied reports of Sri Lanka being the arbitrator between two.
“The matter is between PCB and BCCI and has nothing to do with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. We will talk about this issue in forthcoming ICC meeting.
