No decision on pulling out of tourney in Bangladesh: PCB

Karachi: Pakistan Cricket Board`s acting Chairman Najam Sethi has made it clear that the PCB would take no unilateral decision about pulling out of the Asia Cup or the ICC World Twenty20 Championship in Bangladesh despite the growing security concerns in that country.

"Both the events are multi-nation tournaments and providing security is responsibility of the Asian Cricket Council and International Cricket Council which are the hosts of these events," Sethi told reporters in Lahore. There are fears that Bangladesh might lose the hosting rights of the two major events because of the growing unrest and security concerns. On Thursday there was unrest in Bangladesh after a leader of the Jamaat-e-Islaami was hanged for war crimes. The concerns about security and safety of the participating teams in the Asia Cup and ICC have grown after a bomb exploded outside the hotel in Chittagong recently where the West Indies under-19 team was staying. The West Indies Cricket Board pulled out its team from the tour citing security concerns. Sethi said as far as the Asia Cup was concerned, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were all stakeholders in the ACC. "If a need arises the four boards will collectively discuss the issue and decide what to do but for now the Asia Cup is still scheduled in Bangladesh," Sethi said. Referring to the World T20 scheduled next year, Sethi said the ICC were the hosts and they were monitoring the situation closely in Bangladesh and keeping all member nations updated. "Whatever the decision the ICC takes, the PCB will follow it but we will keep an eye on things as well." Pakistan has had strained relations with Bangladesh since the last two years after the BCB twice pulled out of confirmed tours. Pakistan itself has faced the problem of foreign teams pulling out or refusing to tour the country because of security concerns since 2009 and lost the hosting rights for the Champions Trophy and World Cup because of this reason.