Pakistan invites Bangladesh to play pink-ball Test in January

Cricket teams who have been reluctant to be a part of the pink-ball experiment earlier have started expressing interest to play day-night Tests. The supporters are turning up in numbers to watch the gentleman’s game under floodlights. After the success of this format, floodlit cricket has started to become a new trend now in the cricketing globe with teams willing to play at least one pink-ball affair in the series.

In the latest development, Pakistan and Bangladesh might feature in a pink-ball Test during the latter’s tour to the neighbouring country in January next year for the two-match series, which will be a part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC). Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chief Executive Officer, Wasim Khan added that they had sent a proposed route map of the series to Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), suggesting that one of the two Tests be staged as a pink-ball affair in Karachi.

On the contrary, BCB officials stated that they will be able to give confirmation for the tour in a week’s time after getting clearance from their government. Majority of the top nations refused to tour Pakistan ever since the attack on a Sri Lankan bus back in the year 2009. Since then, Pakistan have long been playing home matches at a neutral venue in the UAE (Abu Dhabi and Dubai).

We will not host home games at any neutral venue in future: PCB Chief Ehsan Mani

Meanwhile, Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Ehsan Mani clarified that Pakistan will no longer host its home series at neutral venues in future. “If any team has any objection to playing in Pakistan they have to give us a valid reason for this. We now intend to play all our home series in Pakistan,” Mani said.

Wasim Khan said that they have invited South Africa, Afghanistan and Ireland to tour the nation while adding that PCB is confident Bangladesh will send its team for the upcoming Two Tests and three T20 Internationals. “We have also invited South Africa, Afghanistan and Ireland to tour Pakistan and we might host one of them sometime after the PSL in March,” he said.

Currently, Pakistan is hosting its first Test in a decade from Wednesday in Rawalpindi against Sri Lanka. Pakistan has never hosted a day-night Test match and Wasim said the pink-ball format is a practical step towards reviving the Test cricket. Pakistan expressed its interest to play at least one pink-ball Test at home.

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