PCB allows players to play in Bangladesh Premier League

Karachi: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to allow its players to take part in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) including left arm pacer Mohammad Amir.

Around 25 Pakistani players including Aamir and Mohammad Asif have been signed up for the BPL T20 event which is due to be held from November 25 to December 25, a period when the main domestic first class tournament will also be in progress in Pakistan.

"We have basically decided not to stop these players from going to the BPL," a board official said.

"But our policy is they can go as long as their respective regions and departments don t have any issues on their players going to the BPL," he said.

He said since the BPL will clash at some time with the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy in Pakistan the regions and departments have been asked to take a decision on whether they want to release their players.

"In the case of Aamir or even others their departments will decide," the official said.

Another source said the PCB found itself in a difficult position after several players entered into deals with the Bangladesh cricket board.

"The position is difficult since several leading players from Bangladesh including Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal have committed to play in the Pakistan Super League with the permission of their board," the source told PTI.

"There is also the issue of Pakistan now improving its relations with the Bangladesh board after the Australians refused to tour Bangladesh," he said.

"We are also keeping in mind that if India does not agree to play with us in December in the UAE than we might to turn to Bangladesh for some alternate option," he said.

He said because of these reasons the PCB had decided not to prevent its players from going for the BPL and maintain good relations with the Bangladesh board.

"But what we have ensured is that these players don t face any financial issues in the BPL and the Bangladesh board has said it will be responsible for the transaction of all payments to Pakistani players now and not the franchises," the source said.

In the second edition of the BPL the then Chairman of the PCB Zaka Ashraf had stopped the players from playing in the league after Bangladesh pulled out of a short tour to Pakistan worsening relations between the two boards.

The source said the PCB didn t want a situation where if its stopped its players from the BPL the Bangladesh board might in a tit for tat response stop its players from the PSL.

At the recent Asian cricket meeting in Singapore, Pakistan supported Bangladesh as the hosts for the Asia T20 Cup early next year.