Pakistan set conditions for touring Bangladesh

The PCB has demanded 50% of the revenue from the BCB in return for touring Bangladesh as scheduled in April-May this year. The PCB has also stipulated a condition to exchange Under-19 and A team tours. ESPNcricinfo understands that the PCB's governing board has agreed that the tour should only go ahead if the BCB agrees to the conditions.

The PCB has informed the BCB that they are sticking to their demands and also insisted on making every agreement a written and legally binding one before getting into any commitment. Both PCB and BCB executives are set to meet in the UAE on the sidelines of the ICC meeting for a final round of talks.

Bangladesh, according to the present FTP, are supposed to host Pakistan for two Tests, three ODIs and a T20 between April 10 and May 7. However, the PCB is yet to hand the BCB an assurance on the tour. The FTP is no more a central agreement between the ICC and its members. Now there are bilateral agreements between member nations and boards can decide individually whether playing each other is commercially viable or not.

In the last four years, PCB and BCB relations have been embroiled as Bangladesh repeatedly pulled out from touring Pakistan, citing safety and security concerns. During the Zaka Ashraf regime, the PCB had disengaged communication with the BCB and barred its cricketers from featuring in the Bangladesh Premier League. The last full bilateral series between the two teams was when Pakistan toured Bangladesh in late 2011.

Pakistan has been forced to host its home series mostly in the UAE but the PCB played down the possibility of hosting teams like Bangladesh and Zimbabwe at offshore venues. The PCB understands that hosting Bangladesh in the UAE or playing them in their home country is not financially viable.

With new chairman Shaharyar Khan arriving at the helm of the PCB, the relationship was revived last year with low-profile tours by Bangladeshi representative teams. The BCB offered their women and academy teams to visit Pakistan but the PCB insisted on exchanging U-19 and A team tours instead.