Bangladesh invited by Pakistan for two T20s in May

In a bid to revive international cricket in the country, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has invited the Bangladesh team to play two T20 games in May this year. They had recently hosted the Pakistan Super League (PSL) final in Lahore under immense security.

The international cricket in Pakistan had suffered a major blow when the Sri Lankan team was attacked in the year 2009 by 12 gunmen while they were on their way to the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore to play the second Test against Pakistan. Six cricketers were injured in the attack and six Pakistani policemen and 2 civilians were killed in the inhuman act.

Post that, no team wanted to visit the country to play and all the future tours were canceled citing security reasons. Since then, only Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and Kenya agreed to play there and rest all other countries refused. Pakistan were forced to host all the international matches outside the country and U.A.E. was their new designated home with the grounds of Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi.

Recently, the PSL final that was played in Lahore after the whole tournament took place in the U.A.E., sparked a lot of controversies Few overseas players opted not to play the final. They were replaced by other foreign players and there were still a handful of players that played in the final.

PCB is very keen to resurrect cricket in the country and are making some conscious efforts. Bangladesh team recently pulled off a stunning victory in their centenary Test match against Sri Lanka. It remains to be seen whether they accept the offer to play in Pakistan.