Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq has warned of the damage that could be done to Bangladesh cricket should England call off their upcoming tour of the country. England are due to fly to Bangladesh on September 30 for three one-day internationals and two Test matches.
But there been concerns about the viability of the fixtures, the first leg of an England tour programme that features a subsequent Test series in India, ever since 29 people were killed in a terror attack in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, last month. Pakistan have not played a Test series on home soil since an armed attack on Sri Lanka's team bus in Lahore in 2009 saw six players injured, as well as the deaths of six policemen and two civilians.
England coach Trevor Bayliss and assistant Paul Farbrace, then both holding equivalent positions with Sri Lanka, were on the bus at the time. Misbah, while accepting the legitimacy of security concerns, knows full well how debilitating it has been for fans in cricket-loving Pakistan not to have seen their own heroes in international action and fears what a similar situation might do to the game in fellow Asian nation Bangladesh. "It's their (England's) decision but if a team is not playing at home, it's really not good for cricket," said Misbah after leading Pakistan to a 10-wicket in the fourth Test against England at The Oval on Sunday that saw his side draw the four-match series 2-2. "People in Bangladesh love cricket. They have a craziness for it. "If they are deprived of hosting cricket, it could be a big loss for them."
"Sometimes people think it's really easy for us playing in the UAE. They think the wickets suit us and we win there," he said. "But just living every day away from your country, without your family and friends, and playing every game away from Pakistan, is really difficult. It's mentally tough.