Pakistan to tour Bangladesh next year

Pakistan will tour Bangladesh for a series of five ODIs after the scheduled tour by Sri Lanka in March next year, the PCB has announced.

Pakistan have not played a bilateral series in Bangladesh since 2002 although they played in the tri-nation Kitply Cup earlier this year in May. "There will be a series of five ODIs in Bangladesh," Salim Altaf, chief operating officer PCB, told Cricinfo. "The team will leave on March 3. The tour is part of the FTP."

Pakistan has played little cricket over the last year, hit by postponements and cancellations. The latest blow was India's withdrawal from their January tour, though Sri Lanka have said they will replace them. The series, Altaf said, means at least that the board is trying to arrange matches for the side. "There is an opinion that Pakistan has been isolated at international level but it's not correct and we have arranged tours for the team."

In a bid to ensure that the team does play, Ejaz Butt, the PCB chairman, will meet Cricket Australia officials at an ICC meeting in Perth in January to finalise the five ODIs and Twenty20 Australia is scheduled to play in March-April in Pakistan.

Privately, board officials believe it is likely those games will be played at a neutral venue. A security assessment is expected before any decision is made but it is believed that Butt will try and convince CA to send their team over when they meet on January 31.

If the series is shifted to a neutral venue, Abu Dhabi or Dubai remain the foremost options, though other venues are also being looked at.