1 Jan 2013

Pakistan cricket tour called off by Bangladesh

5:15 am on 1 January 2013

Bangladesh has called off a planned cricket tour of Pakistan next month for safety reasons.

It would have been the first foreign team to visit the country since gunmen attacked the Sri Lankan team bus near a stadium in Lahore and killed eight people in March 2009.

Bangladesh had earlier indicated that they would play a Twenty20 and a one-day on 12 and 13 January respectively, both in Lahore.

However officials said at the time that the decision was subject to a security review.

Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hasan said the situation in Pakistan was alarming and the tour had been postponed indefinitely.

The BBC reports he said it was a very difficult decision to make.

Bangladesh previously agreed to send a team to Pakistan in April 2012 to play a Twenty20 match

and one-day international in Lahore.

However, the Dhaka High Court issued a restraining order stopping Bangladesh from playing in Pakistan due to security concerns.