Indian coaches of BD women’s team won’t travel to Pakistan

Ag AFP

DHAKA: Indian coaches from Bangladesh’s women’s cricket staff will not travel to Pakistan for the international series next month amid political tensions between the neighbouring nuclear rivals, the country’s Cricket Board said Sunday.

Tensions are heightened between India and Pakistan after New Delhi revoked the autonomy of restive Kashmir in early August, which was the country’s only Muslim-majority state. The women’s team are due to play Pakistan from October 26 to November 4 in three Twenty20 internationals and two one-day internationals at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The tour is still subject to security checks by Bangladesh’s government before it can take place.

The governing body’s chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury told AFP that if it goes ahead, head coach Anju Jain, assistant coach Devika Palshikar, and trainer Kavita Pandey will not accompany the side in Pakistan. But they will travel with the Bangladesh team when they play the ACC Emerging Women’s Asia Cup in Sri Lanka from October 20 to 28.

“We will have another team travelling to Sri Lanka almost at the same period. We’ve decided to send our Indian coaching staff to Sri Lanka instead of Pakistan to avoid any travel complications,” Nizamuddin said.

Sri Lanka men’s team are in Pakistan for three one-day internationals and three Twenty20 internationals. Teams have been reluctant to visit Pakistan after 2009’s deadly militant attack on a bus carrying the Sri Lankan team in Lahore. The Bangladesh women’s team last toured Pakistan in 2015.