Siddons concerned about World Twenty20 chances

Jamie Siddons, the Bangladesh coach, has said the indefinite postponement of Pakistan's tour to the country, originally scheduled for early March, could affect his team's chances at this year's World Twenty20 to be held in England in June.

"We've got no real cricket until then, which is a bit of a concern for us," Siddons told AFP.

The Bangladesh government halted all visits by foreign teams to the country as it could not guarantee them full security. The decision was taken in the aftermath of an armed mutiny by rank-and-file border guards against their superiors in Dhaka on February 25 and 26. At least 56 senior army officers were killed in the 33-hour revolt.

Pakistan were scheduled to play two Twenty20 matches and five ODIs from March 10-22 but the BCB announced its decision to postpone the tour immediately after the attacks in Lahore, when the Sri Lankan team was fired upon. However, the BCB did not explain the reason for the decision at the time.

Siddons, though, was hopeful of the tour being rescheduled around October or November pending an improvement in the security situation. "We've got a small gap in our schedule in October and Pakistan have a gap around then too so we may be able to figure something out," he said. "We are all disappointed. The situation all over the place is not great but I am sure cricket is going to survive."