No Pakistan players for BPL

Bangladesh cricket chiefs said Wednesday that Pakistan had refused to release any of its players for a Twenty20 competition which begins this week after a planned bilateral series had to be scrapped.

Pakistan had been due to host Bangladesh for a Twenty20 game and a 50-over match in Lahore this month in what would have been its first home internationals since a deadly attack on the Sri Lankan team bus nearly four years ago.

But the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) cancelled the tour, saying Pakistan was not safe for its players.

According to a BCB spokesman, Pakistan has now responded by preventing any of its stars from competing in the Bangladesh Premier League which begins Thursday.

"The chief executive officer of PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) called our CEO today and informed him that they won't allow Pakistani players to play in the BPL until we send our team to their country," spokesman Jalal Yunus told AFP.

"We've now decided to host the event without Pakistani players," he said, adding the BPL's seven franchises would now find replacements for the 26 Pakistani players they bought in the auction last month.

The move represents a major blow for the second edition of the BPL since Pakistani cricketers have a big following in Bangladesh.

No Pakistan players in BPL

The PCB has reacted furiously to Bangladesh's decision to not tour Pakistan for security reasons by stating that the Board will not release the players for the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).

In a statement released by the PCB on Monday, it indicated that Bangladesh's refusal to tour Pakistan has affected the relationships between the two cricket boards.

The statement also read, "For the 2013 edition of the BPL, we have to see the commitments and engagements of our players before releasing them for the tournament. To associate the release the Pakistani players with Bangladesh tour to Pakistan does not hold any merit."

PCB undecided on player's participation in BPL

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is still undecided on whether it will allow its players to take part in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) next year. The deadline to issue the No Objection Certificates (NOC) for the tournament is over but the PCB has still not given the NOCs to any of its players.

"We will soon take a policy decision on permitting players to play in the BPL as presently we are dealing with other more important issues like the tour to India," a PCB official said.

The next player's auction for the upcoming season is scheduled to take place on the 19th of December. 20 players from Pakistan had represented the various franchises in the inaugural edition of the BPL, raising the standard of the league to a large extent.

A PCB source stated that the board was awaiting a response from their Bangladeshi counterparts for the confirmation of dates for the country's pending tour to Pakistan.

"The PCB is also concerned because of the pay disputes that arose between players and franchises this year," the source said.

The PCB was not too impressed with the BCB after they retracted on a promise to play two matches in Lahore. Apparently, the Bangladesh Board had been directed by the Dhaka High Court against sending their players to Pakistan because of security reasons.

Interestingly, the BCB President, Nazmul Hasan has said that they are in talks with the PCB for a short tour to Pakistan in January. "We can't go in December so we will speak to the PCB, about whether we can fit in a small tour before the BPL," Hassan said.

Hassan had earlier stated that the BCB had made a written commitment to the PCB, giving their approval for the short tour.