Final leg of Tigers’ Pak tour postponed

Following the global coronavirus outbreak, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) have decided to postpone to a later date the upcoming one-off One-Day International (ODI) and Test in Karachi.

The Tigers were scheduled to arrive in Karachi on March 29 to play an ODI on April 1 and the second ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Test from April 5–9 on their third-phase tour.

The two boards will work together to identify a future opportunity to complete the ICC WTC commitment. As the second Test of the series is included in WTC, both teams have to play it unless they are willing to relinquish points.  The match must be played within March 2021.

The two teams played their first Test of the series in Rawalpindi from February 7–10. Pakistan won the match by an innings and 44 runs. Speaking on the postponement of the series, BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury said that the BCB consented to the PCB’s decision to postpone the series. A a suitable time will have to be selected for the tour after checking for vacancies in the team’s future tours programme (FTP), he added.

“Given the current global scenario, this was Pakistan’s decision as they were hosting the series. We have been communicating with PCB on the matter for the last two days,” he said.

“We discussed how to continue the tour and hold the series at a suitable time. Eventually, they decided to postpone the series and we gave our consent,” Chowdhury told the media.

“We have to find a blank period in our FTP for the tour. There is no alternative at this moment,” he added.

With concerns rising over the coronavirus, the BCB last week postponed a mega concert and a two-match T20 International (T20I) series between a World XI team and an Asia XI team to mark the 100th birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The coronavirus outbreak is disrupting the international cricket calendar. The England cricket team left Sri Lanka before the series could begin, while New Zealand called off the series against host Australia midway. The ODI series between South Africa and host India has also been cancelled halfway through. The Indian Premier League T20 is now scheduled to begin on April 15 instead of March 29.

In the ongoing edition of the Pakistan Super League T20 in Pakistan, at least 10 overseas cricketers have left the tournament before its completion over coronavirus concerns after the outbreak was termed a “pandemic” by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Asked about the postponement of the ongoing Dhaka Premier League (DPL), the BCB CEO said they would take a final decision after consulting with the participating clubs. “Our president had said earlier that we would follow the government’s suggestions. We have issued directives to tournament organisers on the basis of the current medical and other expert advice,” he also said. “Large gatherings are not permitted at the stadiums for the time being. We will take a decision to this end after consulting with the clubs that are participating in the DPL,” he added.

 

Final leg of Tigers Pak tour postponed

Following the global coronavirus outbreak, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) have decided to postpone to a later date the upcoming one-off One-Day International (ODI) and Test in Karachi. The Tigers were scheduled to arrive in Karachi on March 29 to play an ODI on April 1 and the second ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Test from April 59 on their third-phase tour. The two boards will work together to identify a future opportunity to complete the ICC WTC commitment. As the second Test of the series is included in WTC, both teams have to play it unless they are willing to relinquish points. The match must be played within March 2021. The two teams played their first Test of the series in Rawalpindi from February 710. Pakistan won the match by an innings and 44 runs. Speaking on the postponement of the series, BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury said that the BCB consented to the PCBs decision to postpone the series. A a suitable time will have to be selected for the tour after checking for vacancies in the teams future tours programme (FTP), he added. Given the current global scenario, this was Pakistans decision as they were hosting the series. We have been communicating with PCB on the matter for the last two days, he said. We discussed how to continue the tour and hold the series at a suitable time. Eventually, they decided to postpone the series and we gave our consent, Chowdhury told the media. We have to find a blank period in our FTP for the tour. There is no alternative at this moment, he added. With concerns rising over the coronavirus, the BCB last week postponed a mega concert and a two-match T20 International (T20I) series between a World XI team and an Asia XI team to mark the 100th birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The coronavirus outbreak is disrupting the international cricket calendar. The England cricket team left Sri Lanka before the series could begin, while New Zealand called off the series against host Australia midway. The ODI series between South Africa and host India has also been cancelled halfway through. The Indian Premier League T20 is now scheduled to begin on April 15 instead of March 29. In the ongoing edition of the Pakistan Super League T20 in Pakistan, at least 10 overseas cricketers have left the tournament before its completion over coronavirus concerns after the outbreak was termed a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Asked about the postponement of the ongoing Dhaka Premier League (DPL), the BCB CEO said they would take a final decision after consulting with the participating clubs. Our president had said earlier that we would follow the governments suggestions. We have issued directives to tournament organisers on the basis of the current medical and other expert advice, he also said. Large gatherings are not permitted at the stadiums for the time being. We will take a decision to this end after consulting with the clubs that are participating in the DPL, he added.