Women cricket team leaves for Pakistan today
Bangladesh players dismiss any fear of touring Pakistan
Sports Reporter
The Bangladesh womens cricket team dismissed the fear of Pakistan tour as they leave the country today for two T20 internationals and even number of ODIs. Bangladesh Cricket Board President Nazmul Hassan Papon formally announced it at his residence in the capital on Thursday after the youth and sports ministry gave green signal on Tuesday to BCB to make the tour.
The BCB chief said that the hosts have said they will provide the team with VVIP security. The womens team also seemed to have been pleased with the state security.
We want to play because we didnt get enough opportunity to play. The World Cup is ahead so we need some match practice, said womens team captain Salma Khatun.
The security is satisfactory as far as we are concerned. They vowed to give us state security and they are sincere about it. Yes there was some concern from our family but we are able to make them understand. We will go there to play and that will be the only thing in what we will be focused.
Bangladesh women team will play all four games in Karachi. It will be the first tour to the country by a representative side from Bangladesh since the attack on the
Sri Lankan team in Lahore in 2009. Earlier this month, a security team from Bangladesh visited Lahore and Karachi to assess the safety arrangements. Karachis Southend Cricket Club was put forward as a venue since the players can stay at the ground.
We received the order from the government through the sports ministry, Hassan said. Now it is up to us. The Bangladesh team will go on September 27 or 28. We thought Lahore is safer. The previous security team were told about Lahore. But this time they have included Karachi because in the Southend Cricket Club, they will stay and play. It is a huge plus point. We just have to iron out some of the details. But the womens team is going. It is final.
Hassan said that the participation of Bangladeshi football and handball teams in events in Pakistan in the last few years suggested that the BCB should also think about sending a team. He said that the security team found security measures satisfactory but the BCB asked for the VVIP level of security.
We have been discussing for a long time about sending a womens team to Pakistan. Football and handball womens teams went to Pakistan, so since there was a feeling among them that BCB doesnt want to send a cricket team, we decided to send a strong security team first. According to their report - an accident can happen anywhere, thats a different issue - the security measures are satisfactory. We sent them some additional requirements like giving the team VVIP security. They have accepted it. They have also complied with all that we asked of them about crowds, open gates and nearby areas. Now we can say that we dont have anything to say on the security issue.
BCBs senior vice-president Mahbubul Anam, womens wing chairman MA Awal Chowdhury and the boards security head will accompany the team to Pakistan. Last month, when talk of the tour surfaced, some of the Bangladesh players had expressed unease. The BCB higher-ups, along with a security official from the Bangladesh High Commission in Pakistan, had a discussion with the players earlier this month. Salma Khatun retained as the captain of the women team as the squad was named on Friday.
The squad: Salma Khatun (captain), Jahanara Alam, Farzana Haque Pinki, Rumana Ahmed, Lata Mondal, Ayasha Rahman Shuktara, Panna Ghosh, Sharmin Akter Supta, Fahima Khatun, Shamima Sultana, Ritu Moni, Nigar Sultana, Khadija Tul Kubra, Sharmin Sultana, Nahida Akter. Stand by: Sanjida Islam, Sumona Akter.
