PSL: Tamim Iqbal optimistic about Bangladesh visiting Pakistan in 2017

Bangladesh opening batsman Tamim Iqbal sounded hopeful of his team touring Pakistan for a bilateral series, next year. BDCricteam cited the flamboyant cricketer speaking about the chances of Bangladesh visiting the cricket deprived nation for a few matches in 2017.

Tamim who is participating in the PSL for Peshawar Zalmi, acknowledged the need for cricket to return to Pakistan on a regular basis. He said, “This is just the beginning of the tournament and surely this tournament will get better and better. I hope next year Bangladesh national team will be able to play a few games in Pakistan.”

Zimbabwe’s trip to Pakistan for a brief limited-overs series in 2015 which drew huge crowds proved that the passion for the game was still intact in the South Asian nation. However, almost all the high-profile teams have been reluctant to travel to Pakistan due to the prevailing security situation.

Since the terror attack on Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore during 2009 which led to global condemnation, no major sporting event has taken place in Pakistan. As a result, the Pakistani players have been forced to adopt the United Arab Emirates as their base.

Despite their success in the Tests, sluggish pitches in the UAE has severely hampered the natural gameplay of the Pakistanis in limited-overs cricket. Plummeting fortunes in the shorter formats have proved that they are missing out on playing in front of their own fans.

Meanwhile, Tamim will skip the remainder of the Pakistan Super League as he is scheduled to fly out to Bangladesh on Thursday to be alongside his wife who is expecting their first child. He has been in sizzling form in the PSL scoring 267 runs from 6 matches at a healthy average of 66.75 and played a pivotal role in the Shahid Afridi-led Zalmi topping the league table.

Heaping praise on the team management for his exploits in the T20 tournament, he asserted, “The first couple of games I was struggling a bit. I thought I was not batting the way I like to bat but I am lucky enough to score runs, which is good. The confidence they (management) are showing towards me is quite amazing.”

Iqbal had already announced that he will miss out on the upcoming Asia Cup and was replaced by Imrul Kayes. But, he will be back in action during the ICC World T20 in March.