Another Blow To Mohsin Naqvi? Bangladesh Players Can Also Pull Out Of PSL If...

Bangladesh may bar Mustafizur Rahman and other players from PSL over Pakistan security concerns as BCB awaits government clearance amid regional tensions.

The Bangladesh government might stop its men’s cricketers from participating in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) if it feels there’s a credible enough threat to their safety.

Six Bangladesh players — Mustafizur Rahman (Lahore Qalandars), Parvez Hossain Emon (Lahore Qalandars), Shoriful Islam (Peshawar Zalmi), Nahid Rana (Peshawar Zalmi), Tanzid Hasan Tamim (Peshawar Zalmi), and Rishad Hossain (Peshawar Zalmi) — are part of the PSL and have been granted No Objection Certificate (NOC) by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).

The PSL is set to start as scheduled on March 26, but Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi said on Sunday that the tournament will be restricted to just two venues, with no spectators allowed for the initial games. Although he cited the petroleum crisis caused by the conflict in West Asia, Pakistan is dealing with a war-like situation on its border with Afghanistan, too.

“Definitely our cricketers are not going if there is a security concern (in PSL)," Bangladesh state minister for youth and sports, Aminul Haque, told Cricbuzz. “First, BCB has to inform us about it (security concern) and afterwards we will take an official decision based upon our observation (following scrutiny from national agencies)," he said.

The BCB has said it would seek the government’s permission before giving the players a final permission to travel to Pakistan. And Haque threw the ball right back in the board’s court, for now.

“If the BCB ensures us that there is no problem if our cricketers go there, in that case we don’t have any problem. They (BCB) have to ensure what the players want because we don’t want to discourage sports and we want everyone to play from their respective places," he added.

“The BCB should consult us about security purposes and everything, and if they can ensure that (everything is fine), in that case we can proceed," he said.

There have already been reports in Australia that players were concerned about the security situation in Pakistan. Sri Lanka’s Dasun Shanaka and Zimbabwe’s Blessing Muzarabani have already pulled out of the competition after being offered more lucrative contracts in the IPL.

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