"Pressure was from ICC to play WTC game"

Sports Live: The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan Papon said that the main reason to visit Pakistan is to play the matches of World Test Championship (WTC) for which there is pressure on them from the International Cricket Council (ICC).

The two-match Test series that Bangladesh would play in Pakistan is the part of WTC game, which Papon said is like Test World Cup.

“If it is just bilateral series, then the situation would have been different but the two-match Test series is the part of World Test Championship, which is being organized by ICC. It is kind of World Cup. The championship game is being play by home and away basis, so there is no option [to avoid it],” Papon said here today.

“I think we should take part here as a full member of ICC. And ICC also wants that. This was the main pressure actually.”

The BCB chief said they would understand the whole situation of Pakistan once they would play the three-match T20 International series for which Bangladesh is leaving the country on January 22. The three T20Is are scheduled to be held on January 24, 25 and 27 and all the matches will be held in Lahore.

Nazmul Hassan Papon added that the players should concentrate on just cricket, leaving aside the security issue, which he said the BCB would deal with. “I just want to say the players to concentrate on game, leaving the security issue aside. If the security issue in their mind, they can’t concentrate on game. The BCB will deal with the security matter.”

Dhaka 19 January (campuslive24.com)//az

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